Team Ireland, pictured above, arrived in Madrid last night and had their first training session in the Spanish capital last evening ahead of the opening bell for the 12th European Elite Women’s Championships.
The four-strong squad train again today and will visit the competition venue. Boxing at the 32-nation tournamnet begins Saturday following Friday’s draw at 2.30pm (Irish time).
Cavan’s Ceire Smith, Dundalk’s Amy Broadhurst, Cork’s Christina Desmond and Castlerea’s Aoife O’Rourke will represent Ireland in the fly, light, welter and middle classes.
Head coach Zaur Antia and Damain Kennedy will be working Ireland’s corner in Madrid.
Meanwhile, on the last occasion that a European Elite (Men’s) Championships was hosted in Madrid, Mick Dowling, Neil McLaughlin and Brendan McCarthy claimed treble bronze for Ireland in 1971.
Ireland first entered the European Women’s Elites in Riccione, Italy in 2004 but Katie Taylor, our only entry, lost out in the last 16 to Russia’s 2005 World Elite light-welter champion Yulia Nemtsova. A year later, Taylor claimed the lightweight belt and held it until 2014.
Ireland’s all-time medallists at the European Women’s Elites are; Katie Taylor (6 gold), Clare Grace (bronze), Christina Desmond (bronze), Michaela Walsh (bronze) and current World Elite champion Kellie Harrington (bronze).
European Women’s Elite Championships Madrid, Spain August 22/31
Tournament Period – August 22/September 01, 2019
Competition Period – August 24/31, 2019
Competition Venue – Pabellón “Amaya Valdemoro” (Alcobendas, Madrid – Spain)
Age classification – Elite Women
Weight categories – 48 kg, 51 kg, 54 kg, 57 kg, 60 kg, 64 kg, 69 kg, 75 kg, 81 kg, 81+ kg
Irish squad
51kg: Ceire Smith (Cavan/Virginia)
60kg: Amy Broadhurst (Dealgan)
69kg: Christina Desmond (Fr Horgan’s)
75kg: Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea)
Team manager: JP Kinsella
Coaches: Zaur Antia and Damain Kennedy
Physio; David Cooke