Joe Ward on top of the podium in Kharkiv in Saturday
Team Ireland arrived home from the European Championships in the Kharkiv,Ukraine late last night via Dublin Airport.
Joe Ward, Brendan Irvine and Kurt Walker claimed gold and double bronze at the tournament.
Team Ireland’s nine-strong squad, which also included Sean McComb, Darren O’Neill, Dean Gardiner, Pat Mongan, Emmet Brennan and Steven Donnelly, finished 4th in tne medals table and 4th in the rankings table in the Ukraine.
High-Performance Director Bernard Dunne and head coach Zaur Antia in the Ukraine. Both men helped steer Irish boxing to another top five finish in the medals table at the European Championships
Boxing2017 – EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships Medal Standings
Boxing2017 – EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships Team Rankings
The 42nd edition of Europeans also acted as a qualifier for the 19th World Championships which begin in Hamburg, Germany on August 25th.
Ward, Irvine, Walker and McComb qualified for Germany in Kharkiv.
The qualification process for the World Championships is now almost complete following Kharkiv and the African qualifiers in Brazzaville, Congo this weekend.
The final qualifiers (Oceania) begin in Australia’s Gold Coast tomorrow.
280 boxers will compete at the World Championships.260 of those places are earned through the qualification process.10 places go to the host nation and there are 10 wild cards.
Meanwhile, Irish boxing has claimed 14 gold medals at the Men’s and Women’s European Championships this century. Katie Taylor (6) and Joe Ward (3) lead the way with nine between them.
Paddy Barnes, Ray Moylette, John Joe Nevin, Jason Quigley and Michael Conlan have won one gold each. Barnes, Taylor, Moylette, Quigley, Nevin and Conlan have since switched codes.
European Elite Men’s Championships Kharkiv, Ukraine June 14th/25th
June 16th
(Last 32)
64kg Sean McComb (Ireland) beat Erik Agateljan (Czech Republic) 5-0
June 17th:
Last 32
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat SeverianeChildaze (Georgia) 5-0
69kg Steven Donnelly (Ireland) lost to Sergei Sobylinski (Russia) 0-5
June 18th
Last 32
60kg Pat Mongan (Ireland) lost to Artur Bril (Germany) 0-5
75kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) beat Bartosz Golebiewski (Poland) 3-2
June 19th
Last 16
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat Bathuhan Citfci (Turkey) 5-0
60kg Sean McComb (Ireland) beat Vitaly Dunaystev (Russia) 3-2
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) lost to Viktor Vykhryst (Ukraine) TKO2
June 20th
Last 16
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Tayfur Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 4-1
75kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) lost to Kamran Shakhsuvarly (Azerbaijan) 0-5
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Matus Strnisko (Slovakia) 5-0
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) lost to Ramazazaqn Musilimov (Ukraine) 1-4
June 21st
Q/Finals
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat Gabriel Escobar (Spain) 5-0
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Raffaele Di Serio (Italy) 3-1
64kg Sean McComb (Ireland) lost to Luke McCormack (England) 2-3
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Sean Lazzerini (Scotland) 5-0
June 23rd
S/Finals
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) lost to Niall Dean Farrell (England) 0-5
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) lost to Mykola Butsenko (Ukraine) 0-5
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Valentino Manfredonia (Italy) 5-0
June 24th
Finals
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (Russia) 5-0
Irish squad
52kg – Flyweight – Brendan Irvine (St Pauls) (Bronze)
56kg – Bantamweight – Kurt Walker (Canal) (Bronze)
60kg – Lightweight – Patrick Mongan (Olympic)
64kg – Light-welter – Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
69kg – Welterweight – Steven Donnelly (All Saints)
75kg – Middleweight – Emmett Brennan (Glasnevin)
81kg – Light-heavy – Joe Ward (Moate) (Gold)
91kg – Heavyweight – Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)
91+kg – Super-heavy – Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
High-Performance Director/Head of Delegation: Bernard Dunne
Head Coach: Zaur Antia
Coaches: Dmitry Dimitruc, Jimmy Payne, Eoin Pluck
Physio: Seamus Caffrey
Doctor: Jim Clover
Strength & Conditioning: John Cleary
Performance Analysis: Alan Swanton