“No Days Off!” – Determined Daina Moorehouse working towards more Euro success
Daina Moorehouse made a successul step up to Youth level on Friday night
The Bray light flyweight, still only 16 years old, claimed the Irish U18 Open Championships with a high-quality win over Ciara Brien.
A gold medalist and Best Boxer at the European Juniors last year, Moorehouse came into the final with plenty of expectation and her fight with Brien – a bronze medalist at the same tournament last year – was one of the best contests on the night.
Despite giving up several inches to her Naas opponent, Moorehouse was successfully able to close the distance and time some beautiful backhand rights en-route to a unanimous decision win.
It was a fourth Irish title for the Enniskerry BC teenager who has become increasingly dominant in recent times.
Moorehouse explained to Irish-Boxing.com how “I’d boxed her [Brien] before, I boxed her four times before, she beat me twice and this is my third time beating her.”
The win was the culmination of months work for the Wicklow southpaw.
Intensely dedicated, there will be no week of celebrations. and Moorehouse intended to go for her customary 6:00am run the following morning.
She described how “I do that every morning, six in the morning – then seven in the club in the evening. No days off.”
“Not even Christmas Day,” adds in coach Eamonn Carr.
“She’s very talented but she’s also the hardest working kid of 16 I’ve ever seen. She’s an unbelievably hard worker.”
“It’s great tonight, but it didn’t just happen. It wasn’t too glamourous over Christmas, running around Bray Head…” continued the coach before Moorehouse interrupted with a grimacing laugh.
“Them early morning sprints!”
While she will be one of the younger boxers on the team – and at the championships themselves – Moorehouse intends fully to head to the European Youth Championships in Italy this coming April.
With already having had a taste of gold from the European Juniors last year, Moorehouse won’t be heading to Roseto degli Abruzzi for a holiday and convincingly states “one hundred percent” when asked if she is confident that she can medal in the continental championships.
Whether the talented fighter does or not, it won’t be through lack of trying or preparation!
