Lisa O’Rourke grabs GOLD: Castlerea ace is European U22 champ again
Dominant Lisa O’Rourke retained her European U22 light-middleweight crown in Sofia on Saturday.
The Castlerea ace, who won World Championship gold in 2022 in Istanbul, overpowered Darya Letsko in the 70kgs final at the Sofia Sports Hall.
Irish star O’Rourke, the European U22 champion in 2022 when beating Daria Parada in Croatia, left no doubt as to the victor.
The ringside arbitrators concurred with O’Rourke, fighting out the blue corner, having her hand raised and grabbing Ireland’s first gold of these Championships.
O’Rourke took a firm hold of the bout from the outset and Letsko would have no match for the bunches of punches raining in from the Roscommon woman.
O’Rourke, having already accounted for Serbia’s Anastasia Lukajic in a quarter-final, defeated Poland’s Barbara Marcinkowska in a semi-final, taking a clean sweep of 30-26 cards from the judges in that one.
O’Rourke missed out on a place at the Olympic Games this year with the IABA giving Grainne Walsh the ticket to Paris at welterweight.
Letsko, from Belarus and fighting under the IBA banner, couldn’t respond to the sheer volume unloaded by O’Rourke.
In the final minute of the third round, O’Rourke landed a big right on Letsko just to confirm what was already inevitable.
Having has some injury troubles, O’Rourke earned a clean sweep from the judges to take gold in style.
Earlier today, Oakleaf BC minimumweight Carleigh Irving secured a silver medal, losing out to Turkey’s Nursselen Yalgattekin in the 48kgs final.
On Sunday, 48kgs Louis Rooney and 54kgs Patsy Joyce will go for gold in finals while Robyn Kelly, Clepson dos Santos, Bobbi Flood and Martin McDonagh have won bronze medals.
Team Ireland
48kg Carleigh Irving, Oakleaf Boxing Club
54kg Robyn Kelly, Ballynacargy Boxing Club
57kg Niamh Fay, Phoenix of Ballyboughal Boxing Club
63kg Linda Desmond, Rylane Boxing Club
66kg Kaci Rock, Enniskerry Boxing Club
70kg Lisa O’Rourke, Castlerea Boxing Club
75kg Bethany Dooecy, Castlebar Boxing Club
48kg Louis Rooney, Star Boxing Club
51kg Clepson dos Santos, Holy Trinity ABC
54kg Patsy Joyce, Olympic BC Mullingar
57kg Gavin Ryan, Ratoath Golden Gloves Boxing Club
63.5kg Roy Colgan, Avona Boxing Club
67kg Luke Hall, Olympic Boxing Club Mullingar
71kg Bobbi Flood, Cabra Boxing Club
75kg Josh Olaniyan, Jobstown Boxing Club
80kg James Whelan, Dublin Docklands Boxing Club
86kg Kian Hedderman, St. Francis Boxing Club
92+kg Martin McDonagh, Galway Boxing Club
