Michaela Walsh lost out in her bid for gold at the European Games in Minsk this afternoon.
The Belfast feather was beaten on a 4-1 split decision after a tight and tactical three-rounder with Bulgaria’s Stanmira Petrova in the first boxing final of the 44-nation tournament.
The final scores read 30-27,30-27,29-28,29-28 to the former World Elite champion and 29-28 to Walsh.
Petrova, hooking off her jabs in the first round, took the frame on four cards, although Walsh detonated a beautiful left straight down the middle in the final 20 seconds of a fairly flat opening three minutes.
Both boxers upped the pace in the second stanza of the 288th contest of the Games with Walsh backing her opponent into a neutral corner and finishing the round on a high note.
The third was equally as close. Walsh finished out the fight walking down the Bulgarian and finding the target, but so was the Bulgarian No, 3 seed.
Both women stood in the centre of the ring in anticipation before the decision was announced, but it was the Sofia-native and Rio Olympian that got the nod from a tactical encounter which could have gone either way.
Walsh won three of her four fights in Minsk.
“It was a very close contest and she did all she could, said Bernard Dunne, IABA High-Performance Director. “We’re really happy with how she performed and a silver medal at a European Olympic Games is a fantastic achievement.”
Irish captain Kellie Harrington and Kurt Walker are in action in the lightweight and bantamweight finals tomorrow morning.
Irish boxing will be taking home six medals from Belarus.
Ireland is lying in 9th spot in the boxing medals table following the completion of today’s finals with the colour of two further Irish medals to be determined tomorrow.
European Games 2019 Minsk, Belarus
June 30
Finals
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) v Mira Potkonen (Finland) (10.15am)
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) v Mykola Butsenko (Ukraine) 11.30am)
(Irish times above)
June 29
Final
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) lost to Stanmira Petrova (Bulgaria) 1-4
June 28
S/Finals
49kg Regan Buckley (Ireland) lost to Artur Hovannisyan (Armenia) 2-3
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Peter McGrail (Team GB) 3-2
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Daria Amramova (Russia) 3-2
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Agnes Alexiusson (Sweden) 5-0
69kg Grainne Walsh (Ireland) lost to Karolina Koszewska (Poland) 2-3
75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) lost to Salavtore Cavallaro (Italy) KO1
June 26
Q/Finals
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Samuel Kistohurry (France) 5-0
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Ornella Wahner (Germany) 4-1
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Irma Testa (Italy) 4-1
69kg Grainne Walsh (Ireland) beat Elina Gustafsson (Finland) 5-0
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) lost to Lauren Price (Team GB) 0-5
June 25
Last 16
64kg James McGivern (Ireland) lost to Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia) 0-5
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) beat Viktoryia Kebikova (Belarus) 4-1
Q/Finals
49kg Regan Buckley (Ireland) beat Martin Molina (Spain) 4-1
75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) beat Guler Serhat (Turkey) 4-1
June 24
Last 16
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Zhirayr Saeqsyan (Armenia) 4-1
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Lenuta Perijoc (Romania) 4-1
69kg Kieran Molloy (Ireland) lost to Yauheni Dauhaliavets (Belarus) 4-1
69kg Grainne Walsh (Ireland) beat Rosie Eccles (Team GB) 4-1
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Ireland) lost to Mikheil Bakhtidze (Georgia) 1-4
June 23
Last 16
49kg Regan Buckley (Ireland) beat Bator Sagalvev (Russia) 5-0
75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) beat Kamran Shakhsuvarly (Azerbaijan) 5-0
91kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) lost to Toni Filipi (Croatia) 1-4
Last 32
64kg James McGivern (Ireland) beat Michael Takacs (Slovakia) 5-0
June 22
Last 32
69kg Kieran Molloy (Ireland) beat Goce Janeski (Northern Macedonia) 5-0
75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) beat Mark Dickinson (Team GB) 3-2
Irish squad
Female
57kg Michaela Walsh (Monsktown A) (Silver)
60kg Kellie Harrington (St Marys) (Silver, at least)
69kg Gráinne Walsh (Spartacus) (Bronze)
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea)
Male
49kg Regan Buckley (St Teresa’s) (Bronze)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal) (Silver, at least)
64kg James McGivern (St George’s)
69kg Kieran Molloy (Oughterard)
75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise) (Bronze)
91kg Tony Browne (St Michael’s Dublin)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team manager: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan, Dmitry Dimitruk