Team Ireland’s Jack Marley has made his Olympic debut, and won the chance to box for a Paris 2024 medal in the process.
Jack, who’s the first Team Ireland heavyweight to qualify for a Games since Cathal O’Grady at Atlanta 1996, was seeded 7th in his weight.
He opened with a very high tempo against Poland’s Mateusz Bereznicki, who, at 6’6″, had a significant height advantage over the Dubliner. Jack made little of it, and maintained his pace, throughout, claiming the first two rounds 4-1. Round 3 was all about bout management, and the final score was a 4-1 win for Jack – Judges scored the bout 30: 27; 30:27; 30:27; 29:28; 28:29.
Jack says “It was my Olympic boxing debut, I knew I had to start as I mean to go on and that’s what I did. He was actually a different fighter than when I fought him last, he was much more on the back foot this time. Last time he was trying to meet me. He was using his distance this time so every step I took, he was taking two back so I had to adapt and that’s why I upped the pace, it worked well. I got told ‘have no regrets!’ about two minutes before I stepped into the ring and I’ll aways remember that.”
Asked about the pressure now of being within one win of making an Olympic podium Marley stressed: “I was one fight away this morning because if I lost I wasn’t getting anywhere near that podium. Each fight’s the same, it’s the same as an Olympic qualifier. If I lose I’m out.”
Jack will box for an Olympic medal against , 2022 Asian Games gold medalist Tajikistan’s Davlat Boltaev in Thursday’s Evening Session. He’ll be in the ring at 21.08
Tokyo bronze medalist, Aidan Walsh, became a double Olympian as soon as he stepped in to the field of play to contest his Round of 32 bout against home boxer, Makan Traore. The crowd was vocally hostile during Aidan’s ringwalk, and maintained that hostility throughout the bout.
Aidan was deducted a point in the final round, but, having had the second round awarded against him, the result was foregone. The final score was: 29-27; 29-27; 28-28; 29-27; 29-27.
Aidan says “When you win the first round so clearly you just keep doing what you’re doing and it just usually goes for you. I know I got a warning in the third, I don’t really know why because I’ve been doing that all my career, hitting and holding. Usually you get a few cautions before you get a proper warning, but the referees seem to be clamping down on that in the last few months. With characteristic grace he added: “I’m just incredibly grateful to be here, my aim isn’t always to medal, it’s to enjoy the process and I’ve really enjoyed my time here in the village, much more than my last experience in Tokyo and it’s just a privilege to be here.”
66kg Grainne Walsh, making her Olympic debut at Round of 32 stage, came out the wrong side of a 4-1 split in her contest with Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary, which included an R2 point deduction for the Hungarian. This was a tempestuous bout, with numerous warnings for holding. The first round was a 3-2 split to Hamori; the second went 5-0 to the Hungarian and the The final score was: 27-29; 28-28; 29-29; 27-28; 28-28.
Grainne was characteristically gracious “I’m obviously bitterly disappointed. I just feel like I didn’t get a flow at all. I’m a fighter that relies very much on getting into my flow and using my reflexes and stuff. Anytime I got close she was leaning on me. I was trying to set my hands free. “I’m not blaming her for it. She did what she had to do to win the fight. I’m just frustrated,”
“Obviously there was the points deduction in the second round but it didn’t really change much. Huge effort went into preparing for this. My coach has put in huge work with me and so much trust me. The Olympics comes around once every four years, so it’s a shame how it turned out but I’m very proud of myself for getting this far. I’m tremendously proud to be able to call myself an Olympian forever, just disappointed that I didn’t get to show the best version of myself.”
Day Three – July 29th.
One Team Ireland boxer is in action on Monday – defending lightweight Olympic champion, Kellie Harrington.
She takes on Italy’s Alessia Messiano in the Afternoon Session, after the Italy secured victory on Saturday over Turkey’s Gizem Ozer. That’s a Last 16 bout.
Harrington and Messiano have met once before, at an Ireland V Italy dual nations at University of Ulster, Jordanstown in April, 2021. Kellie was the 5-0 victor. Their meeting rate, in a European context, is low as Messiano spent the first 5 years of her Senior Elite career contesting at 57kg, and only moved up in or around 2019-2020. Kellie has come down, over the years, from 69kg, to 64kg and then 60kg. Messiano’s World gold, World bronze and European gold, were all won at feather (2016, 2014 and 2013, respectively). Her 2022 World bronze was won at lightweight.
Tournament Schedule
Boxing from July 27th to August 3rd takes place at the North Paris Arena. Boxing from August 4th to 10th takes place at Roland Garros. August 5th is a rest day at the tournament.
Morning sessions begin at 10am, Irish time.
Afternoon sessions begin at 2.30pm, Irish time
Evening sessions begin at 7pm, Irish time.
July 27th Round of 32: W54kg, W60kg, M63.5kg & M80kg.
July 28th Round of 32: W50kg, W66kg, M57kg, M71kg, M92kg % M92+kg.
July 29th Last 16 in M63.5, 92 & 92+kg, and W60kg
July 30th Last 16 in M51 & M80kg, and W54 & W57kg
July 31st Last 16 M57 & 71kg, and W75kg, plus QF of W60kg
August 1st QF of M63.5 & 92kg, last 16 W50 & 66kg, QF of W54kg
August 2nd QF of M51, 80 & +92kg, and last 16 W57kg
August 3rd QF of M57 & 71kg, and W50 & 66kg, SF of W60kg
August 4th SF of M51, 63.5, 80 & 92kg,QF W57 & 75kg, SF of W54kg
August 5th rest day
August 6th SF of M71kg, SF W50 & 66kg, and W60kg final
August 7th SF M92+kg & W57kg, Finals of M63.5 & 80kg
August 8th SF M57kg & W75kg, Finals M51kg and W54kg
August 9th Finals of M71 & 92kg, Finals of W50 & 66kg
August 10th Finals of M57 & 92+kg, Finals of W57 & 75kg
Draws
All draws are available here and here
Watch
RTE will have significant coverage of the Games on RTE 2, RTE Player, online, on Radio and through the RTE app. Full details are available here
The full Games streaming service for all sports is here:
https://www.discoveryplus.com/ie/olympics/sport/boxing
Team Ireland Boxing
Athletes:
Kellie Harrington (Dublin) Women’s 60kg
Aidan Walsh (Belfast) Men’s 71kg
Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea) Women’s -75kg
Daina Moorehouse (Bray) Women’s -50kg
Dean Clancy (Sligo) Men’s 63.5kg
Grainne Walsh (Tullamore) Women’s -66kg
Jude Gallagher (Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone) Men’s -57kg
Jennifer Lehane (Ashbourne, Co. Meath) Women’s -54kg
Jack Marley (Sallynoggin, Dublin) Men’s -92kg
Michaela Walsh (Belfast) Women’s -57kg
Staff:
Tricia Heberle – Performance Director & Team Leader
Zauri Antia – Head Coach
Damian Kennedy – Coach
Lynne McEnery – Coach
James Doyle – Coach
Jim Clover – Doctor
Lorcan McGee – Physio
Paula Fitzpatrick – Physiologist