Wexford’s Caoimhe Kinsella claimed Ireland’s second gold of the European Schoolboy/girl Championships on an inside the distance win in Tbilisi, Georgia today.
But Cork’s Katie O’Keeffe and Dubliners Georgia McGovern and Ava Rose Lyndon had to settle for silver on the last day of competition and a record-breaking week for Irish boxing.
Kinsella recorded an inside the distance win over Turkey’s Gulcan Turgul to top the 38kg podium. Turgul started brightly but Kinsella began to repeatedly find the target with her left, with a few rights thrown into the bargain, and the contest was stopped by the ref in the second round after the brave but outclassed Turkish girl took a second count.
O’Keeffe was agonisingly edged out on a 3-2 split decision for 42kg gold. The Leesider, as she does in every bout, left everything in the ring, in a high tempo, slugfest with Aurika Kostrytska, but the judges leaned toward the Ukrainian 30-27,30-27,29-28 and 28-29,28-29 against. O’Keeffe, a bronze medal winner at the 2018 Europeans, will be taking home silver.
McGovern worked her socks off to cut off the space between her and her rangy Italian opponent, Matia Sannino. Both girls were on target in the opening exchanges and throughout a close final with the Drimnagh BC champion finishing out the first and second rounds well and upping the pace in the third. But the Italian counter puncher got the nod.
Lyndon was on top in the last round – which she won 4-1 – against Paris Smith, but the English light-welter was adjudged to have unanimously won the first two rounds of a very close contest. Big performance from Lyndon who finished the second round strongly as well.
“All of the girls gave everything today and you really can’t ask any more of them. It has been a fantastic tournament for Irish boxing and all of the squad here this week can be very proud of their performances,” said Jennifer O’Sullivan, Irish team manager in Tbilisi with Stephen Connolly.
Eve Carr, Patrick Gallagher, James O’Neill, Martin Donovan, Killian Walsh and Paul Archbold worked Ireland’s corner in Georgia.
Ireland used a 32-strong squad in the Georgian capital.
The team will be bringing home two gold, courtesy of Kinsella and Adam Olaniyan, six silver and ten bronze from Tbilisi in a record for Irish boxing at this level.
The 2019 collection improves Ireland’s all-time haul since the inaugural tournament at Rome 2003 to 119 medals.
Dom O’Rourke, President of the IABA, hailed the performances of the young Irish team and highlighted the enormous contributions of their clubs and club coaches.
“Our young boxers did their country proud and it is a fantastic achievement by any standard to win 18 medals. Our team managers and coaches deserve enormous credit, he said.
“The quality of competition is very high here but our squad put in top-class performances every day. Great credit must also go to the clubs and the club coaches for their contributions to this success.”
Team Ireland’s medal-laden team are due to arrive home via Dublin Airport at 10 am on Monday morning. (Turkish TK1975 (12 AUG) Istanbul @ 0725 & Dublin @ 1000 (Terminal 1).
All media are invited to attend Monday’s homecoming.
(All images this week courtesy of Jennier O’Sullivan, Paddy Gallagher and Stephen Connolly)
2019 European Schoolboy/girls Championships Tbilisi, Georgia
August 11
Finals
38kg Caoimhe Kinsella (Ireland) beat Gulcan Turgul (Turkey) RSC2
42kg Katie O’Keeffe (Ireland) lost to Aurika Kostrytska (Ukraine) 2-3
51kg Georgia McGovern (Ireland) lost to Matia Sannino (Italy) 0-5
64kg Ava Rose Lyndon (Ireland) lost to Paris Smith (England) 0-5
Finals
August 10
41,5kg Sean Tyndall (Ireland) lost to Gor Ayvazian (Georgia) 0-5
44kg Esther Lambe (Ireland) lost to Polina Mishenko (Ukraine) 2-3
62kg Micheal McCarthy (Ireland) lost to Tiziano Gugieman (Italy) 0-5
90kg Adam Olaniyan (Ireland) beat Davit Stepulenko (Georgia) 5-0
August 9
S/Finals
36kg Carlagh Mullarney (Ireland) lost to Sophie Harker (England) 1-4
38kg Caoimhe Kinsella (Ireland) beat Tamar Samelia (Georgia) 5-0
40kg Shakira McCrudden (Ireland) lost to Laila Abdullatif (Cyprus) 0-5
40kg Roy Colgan (Ireland) lost to Murad Tagin (Georgia) 0-5
41,5kg Sean Tyndall (Ireland) beat Vitas Hartsuyeu (Belarus) 4-1
42kg Katie O’Keeffe (Ireland) beat Ferraris Matiloe (Italy) RSC1
44kg Esther Lambe (Ireland) beat Akdi Cansu (Turkey) 5-0
46kg Carleigh Irving (Ireland) lost to Jessica Keeton (England) 0-5
48kg Nora Jackman (Ireland) lost to Alice Pumprey (England) 0-5
51kg Georgia McGovern (Ireland) beat Silvija Karavackaite (Lithuania) 5-0
56kg Laurence Connors (Ireland) lost to Arthur Mkrtchyen (Armenia) 0-5
57kg Alicia King (Ireland) lost to Luisa Acconcia (Italy) 1-4
60kg Gabrielle Mongan (Ireland) lost to Louis Briggs (England) 0-5
62kg Micheal McCarthy (Ireland) beat Mikita Bruyev (Belarus) 3-2
68kg Thomas Ward (Ireland) lost to Ethan Moore (England) 0-5
64kg Ava Rose Lyndon (Ireland) beat Sudenaz Balioglu (Turkey) RSC3
76kg Caolan Devlin (Ireland) lost to Mateo Pejic (Croatia) 0-5
90kg Adam Olaniyan (Ireland) beat Alex Ardeieanu (Romania) 5-0
August 7
Q/Finals
38.5kg Kai Griffin (Ireland) lost to Luka Tsuleiskirl (Georgia) 2-3
40kg Roy Colgan (Ireland) beat Tom Odlozilik (Czech Rep) 5-0
43kg Kyle Smith (Ireland) lost to Yehor Kirylus (Ukraine) 2-3
46kg Blaine Fitzgerald O’Sullivan (Ireland) lost to Arman Miskaryan (Armenia) 0-5
48kg Padraig Stapleton (Ireland) lost Anatolli Yem (Ukraine) 2-3
50kg James O’Reilly Thornhill (Ireland) lost to Hlib Hryhorian (Ukraine) 0-5
54kg Cole Byrne (Ireland) lost to Narek Nersisyan (Armenia) 0-5
56kg Laurence Connors (Ireland) beat Sven Cuppen (Netherlands) 3-2
59kg Patrick Stokes (Ireland) lost to Danil Afanasyeu (Belarus) 0-5
62kg Micheal McCarthy (Ireland) beat Kian Govan (Scotland) 5-0
76kg Caolan Devlin (Ireland) beat Islam Huseynli (Azerbaijan) 5-0
August 6
Q/Finals
41,5kg Sean Tyndall (Ireland) beat Matko Stojanovic (Croatia) RSC2
42kg Katie O’Keeffe (Ireland) beat Jocelyn Kilkenny (England) 5-0
44kg Esther Lambe (Ireland) beat Miria Rossetti (Italy) 5-0
46kg Carleigh Irving (Ireland) beat Pinar Ozkan (Turkey) 4-1
48kg Nora Jackman (Ireland) beat Dragana Jovanovic (Serbia) 5-0
52kg Lee McEvoy (Ireland) lost to Demur Kajaia (Georgia) 0-5
54kg Niamh Keogh (Ireland) lost to Izabel Devenyi (Hungary) 0-5
68kg Thomas Ward (Ireland) beat Yahor Prudnikau (Belarus) 5-0
70kg Breanna Ryan Tobin (Ireland) lost to Tatia Bukia (Georgia) 0-5
90kg Adam Olaniyan (Ireland) beat Avetik Hovakimyan (Armenia) 5-0
80kg Bernard Cawley (Ireland) lost to Yehor Harutyunyan (Ukraine) 0-5
90kg+ Danny O’Brien (Ireland) lost to Lovro Pavcec (Croatia) 0-5
August 5
Last 16
38.5kg Kai Griffin (Ireland) beat Fjodor Kamanin (Spain) 5-0
40kg Roy Colgan (Ireland) beat Ellul Cayden (Malta) RSC2
43kg Kyle Smith (Ireland) beat Saoeha Yaroslav (Belarus) 5-0
48kg Padraig Stapleton (Ireland) beat Georgios Pleas (Greece) 5-0
54kg Cole Byrne (Ireland) beat Gasimili Mehman (Azerbaijan) 5-0
56kg Laurence Connors (Ireland) beat Fuad Babayev (Azerbaijan) 5-0
72kg Ryan Collins (Ireland) lost to Oleksii Stepanov (Ukraine) 1-4
August 4
Last 16
44.5kg Malo Davis (Ireland) lost to Kiril Bazhenov (Ukraine) 0-5
52kg Lee McEvoy (Ireland) beat Antonio Hauer (Czech Republic) 5-0
Last 32
54kg Cole Byrne (Ireland) beat Dan Sablinski (Lithuania) 5-0
Irish squad
Male
38.5kg Kai Ducque Griffin (Drimnagh)
40kg Roy Farrelly Colgan (Avona) Captain (Bronze)
41.5kg Sean Tyndall (Dublin Docklands) (Silver)
43kg Kyle Thomas Smith (Holy Trinity)
44.5kg Malo Davis (Monkstown Dublin)
46kg Blaine Fitzgerald O’Sullivan (Corinthians)
48kg Padraig Flynn Stapleton (Monkstown Dublin)
50kg James O’Reilly Thornhill (Togher)
52kg Lee McEvoy (Avona)
54kg Cole Byrne (Enniskerry)
56kg Laurence Connors (St Mary’s Dublin) (Bronze)
59kg Patrick Stokes (St Johns Derry)
62kg Micheal McCarthy (Urlingford) (Silver)
68kg Thomas Ward (Carrickmore) Vice Captain (Bronze)
72kg Ryan Collins Murphy (Neilstown)
76kg Caolan Devlin (Mark Heagney) (Bronze)
80kg Bernard Cawley (St Davids Naas)
90kg Adam Olaniyan (Jobstown) (Gold)
90kg+ Danny O’Brien (Shadows)
Female
36kg Carlagh Mullarney (Ballyhaunis) (Bronze)
38kg Caoimhe Kinsella (St Anthony’s/Pats) (Gold)
40kg Shakira McCrudden (Riverside) (Bronze)
42kg Katie O’Keeffe (Kanturk) (Silver)
44kg Esther Lambe (Setanta) (Silver)
46kg Carleigh Irving (Illies Golden Gloves) (Bronze)
48kg Nora Jackman (Paulstown) (Bronze)
51kg Georgia Dunne McGovern (Drimnagh) Captain (Silver)
54kg Niamh Keogh (Olympic Mullingar)
57kg Alicia King (Ratoath Golden Gloves) (Bronze)
60kg Gabrielle Mongan (Whitechurch) (Bronze)
64kg Ava Rose Henry Lyndon (Glin) Vice Captain (Silver)
70kg Breanna Ryan Tobin (Spartan)
Officials
IABA President: Dominic O’Rourke (St Michaels Athy)
Team Managers: Stephen Connolly (Curragh) & Jennifer O’Sullivan (Sliabh Luachra)
Coaches: Eve Carr (St Michaels Athy),Patrick Gallagher (Maynooth), James O’Neill (Clann Naofa),Martin Donovan (O.L.O.L.),Killian Walsh (Dungarvan), Paul Archbold (St Davids Naas)