After 81 spars, 18 boxing sessions, 9 track sessions and 8 S&C sessions, the first High Performance super camp of this scale in 7 years has drawn to a close.
Three High Performance Teams – Team Emerald, Team Harp and Team Shamrock trained alongside Ukraine’s National Olympic Team at the High Performance Unit at Sport Institute Ireland on the Sport Ireland campus. This is the largest cohort of Irish Elite athletes to attend a home High-Performance training camp on the Sport Ireland campus. In all, 39 Elite Irish boxers participated, including Paris qualified boxers Kellie Harrington, Aoife O’Rourke, Michaela Walsh, Dean Clancy and Jack Marley.
Ukraine’s team is comprised of its national Olympic Squad:
“This camp is a keynote step on the road to Paris 2024. We’re delighted to welcome a team of Ukraine’s caliber and to be in a position to include 39 of Ireland’s highest-potential boxers in this super camp – the first of this size to be held in the High Performance Unit since 2016. This camp was designed to be multi-faceted, providing learning and development opportunities for boxers, coaches, HP staff and our Sport Science colleagues at Sport Institute Ireland. We’re grateful for the resources and support provided by both Sport Ireland and the Olympic Federation of Ireland in hosting this camp, which, we hope, will be the first of many. The facilities available to boxers on the Sport Ireland campus are superb, including the National Indoor Arena, and we’ll maximise their use as we prepare for Paris. Ireland is a world-leader in boxing and is beginning its evolution into a world leader in High Performance ethos and practice.”
Interim High Performance Director, Tricia Heberle
The super-camp provided an opportunity for learning inside and outside the ring, for boxers, coaches and HP staff. This included tailored Sports Psychology workshops for each team, delivered by Richard Shanahan, Physiology seminars, delivered by Boxing HOPS Lead, physiologist, Paula Fitzpatrick, and Immunity & Health practical workshops by Dietician Grainne O’Higgins. Athletes participating in the Olympic Federation of Ireland funded IABA-Sport Institute Ireland Menstrual Cycle Project also received one-to-ones.
Team Ireland Chef de Mission, Gavin Noble, also gave a presentation to Teams Emerald, Shamrock and Harp on preparations for Paris 2024.
Additionally, High Performance Paris 2024 Pool Coaching coaches at the super camp received a series of short form technical seminars from Head Coach, Zauri Antia and Coach, Damian Kennedy. The High Performance Paris 2024 pool coaches who assisted at the camp were: Saidhbh Greene, Ross Hickey, Damien McKenna, Aoife Hennigan, John Gallagher, Lynne McEnery, Rory McShane, Amanda Spencer, Ralph McKay, Liam Cunningham, Maria O’Brien, Paul Simpson, Philip Keogh, Ger McDaid, James Doyle, Igor Khmil and Noel Burke.
“All boxers committed fully to learning in this camp. and every boxer showed learning and development. There were many excellent spars as we prepare for Paris and. I would like to congratulate all boxers and coaches on a fantastic camp, where the positivity created a sustainable high performance training environment. Thank you to Sport Ireland and the Olympic Federation of Ireland for their support.”
Head Coach, Zauri Antia
High Performance is grateful to Dr. Bobby Scully, Team Ukraine’s Dr Maksym Maslyanyy, Code Blue’s Dr. Ronan O’Moore Farrell and the medical staff of Sport Institute Ireland for providing medical cover and support during all sparring sessions, all school combat sessions and all school of boxing sessions. HP would also like to acknowledge the significant contribution to boxer welfare made, not during this camp, but in the daily training environment by Physiotherapists, Lorcan McGee, Rob Twomey and Sport Institute Ireland’s Ciara McCallion.
Today, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Daithi de Roiste, hosted a reception for Team Ukraine, Team Ireland Head Coach, Zauri Antia, and Olympic Champion and Paris Olympian, Kellie Harrington
IABA and the High Performance Unit gratefully acknowledges the resources and support provided by Sport Ireland, the Olympic Federation of Ireland and in particular, the staff of Sport Institute Ireland.
The High Performance Unit’s next competitive event is contesting the Leszek Drogosz Memorial International Tournament in Poland, from September 17th to 24th.