DONOGHUE ADVANCES,MCCULLOUGH AND GUINEY EDGED OUT AT EUROPEANS

Michael Donoghue joined Chloe Gabriel and Winnie McDonagh in Saturday’s finals at the European Junior Championships in Romania after a top drawer performance today.

The St Michael’s Athy BC light-fly showed his class to beat – his fourth win in Galati – Russia’s Boris Eroshkin and guarantee himself at least silver.

Eroshkin opted to try and reduce the three rounder to a toe-to-toe battle and kept the pressure on the Irish champion in all three frames.

But Donoghue showed his class and composure to keep picking off his shots and register a well-deserved victory to improve Ireland’s representation at the business end of the tournament tomorrow.

Martin McCullough had to settle for bronze against Russia’s Ivan Kobzev in the feather class.

The Gleann BC teen asked plenty of question of his rangy opponent, particularly in the first round of an up tempo all southpaw battle,the Irish champion working well from body to head.

The second and third rounds were close, Kobzev banging in backhands, McCullough replying with solid combinations, but the Russian got the not in McCullough’s fourth outing of the competition.

Taylor Guiney was also unlucky not to make the finals versus Russia. The Drimnagh BC stand out landed the majority of cleaner and solid shots and was the more aggressive versus Vladislave Chepizhko with the unofficial consensus being that he won the first and third rounds.

But the talented Russian fighter got the decision after a delay in announcing the result which suggested that the verdict was taken after a count back.

As things stand, Ireland are guaranteed at least three silver medals and six bronze in Romania.

Russia, Ukraine and Ireland had the highest representation in the semi-finals over the last 24 hours.

Saturday’s finals begins at 11am and 3pm (Irish times). Click here for program. Click here for today’s results.

Images courtesy of Tibor Kincses and Tara Robins Mari.

Team Ireland are due to arrive home via Bucharest via Dublin Airport (Terminal 1) at 4.45pm on Sunday.

European Male and Female Junior Championships Galati, Romania, May 22/June 2

June 1

Finals

48kg Michael Donoghue (Ireland) v Dmytro Molodan (Ukraine)
50kg Chloe Gabriel (Ireland) v Valeriaa Linkova (Russia)
63kg Winnie McDonagh (Ireland) v Viola Piras (Italy)

May 31

S/Finals

48kg Michael Donoghue (Ireland) beat Boris Eroshkin (Russia) 5-0
57kg Martin McCullough (Ireland) lost to Ivan Kobzev (Russia) 1-4
66kg Taylor Guiney (Ireland) lost to Vladislave Chepizhko (Russia) 2-3

May 30

S/Finals

48kg Robyn Kelly (Ireland) lost to Anastasia Kirienko (Russia) 0-5
50kg Marie Marine-Gabriel (Ireland) beat Elen Ayari (Italy) 5-0
54kg Aaliyah Butler (Ireland) lost to Liana Tarasian (Russia) 0-5
63kg Winnie McDonagh (Ireland) beat Ani Manukyan (Germany) 5-0
66kg Tiegan Farrell (Ireland) lost to Natalia Zavialova (Russia) 0-5
75kg Dearbhla Tinnelly (Ireland) lost to Valeriia Vorontsova (Russia) 0-4

May 28

Q/Finals

46kg Breda Quilligan (Ireland) lost to Fanni Kovacs (Hungary) 0-5
46kg Dylan Eagleson (Ireland) lost to Timur Khalilov (Russia) 2-3
50kg Chloe Gabriel (Ireland) beat Veronika Zajicova (Czech Republic) 5-0
54kg Aaliyah Butler (Ireland) beat Antoneia Alecu (Romania) 5-0
60kg Michael McCarthy (Ireland) lost to Magomed Mamaev (Russia) 0-5
66kg Tiegan Farrell (Ireland) beat Radmyla Rodinova (Ukraine) 3-2
66kg Taylor Guiney (Ireland) beat Narek Zakharyan (Armenia) 5-0
75kg Dearbhla Tinnelly (Ireland) beat Nur Kocaoglu (Turkey) 4-1
75kg Mark Duffy (Ireland) lost to Vinny Huczmann (England) 0-5

May 27

Q/Finals

48kg Robyn Kelly (Ireland) beat Gamze Soguksu (Turkey) 5-0
48kg Michael Donoghue (Ireland) beat Said Abdullayev (Azerbaijan) 5-0
63kg Winnie McDonagh (Ireland) beat Lia Pukkila (Finland) 5-0
57kg Martin McCullough (Ireland) beat Matvei Starikov (Estonia) 5-0
57kg Nicole O’Sullivan (Ireland) lost to Cristina Ciobanu (Romania) 1-4
70kg Shauna Doherty (Ireland) lost to Melania Moldovan (Romania) 2-3
70kg Eoghan Lavin (Ireland) lost to Mikhail Usov (Russia) 0-5
80kg Margaret Stokes (Ireland) lost to Natalia Hodyk (Ukraine) 1-4

May 26

Last 16

46kg Dylan Eagleson (Ireland) beat Rafael Lozano (Spain) 5-0
48kg Michael Donoghue (Ireland) beat James Sweeney (Scotland) 5-0
52kg Donagh Keary (Ireland) lost to Asad Aghayev (Azerbaijan) 0-5
60kg Michael McCarthy (Ireland) beat Giorgi Zhorzhaliani (Georgia) 3-2
66kg Taylor Guiney (Ireland) beat Andrei Mustet (Turkey) 5-0
70kg Eoghan Lavin (Ireland) beat Alperen Terzi (Turkey) 4-1

May 25

Last 16

52kg Rachael Lawless (Ireland) lost to Sophia Mazzoni (Italy) 0-5
54kg Aaliyah Butler (Ireland) beat Ellie Taylor (Wales) 5-0
57kg Martin McCullough (Ireland) beat Ares Hakoyban (Armenia) 4-0
63kg Winnie McDonagh (Ireland) beat Ceren Tuncer (Turkey) 5-0
75kg Mark Duffy (Ireland) beat Lucian Miltitelu (Romania) 5-0

Last 32

54kg Mustafa Edris (Ireland) lost to Royston Smith-Barney (England) 1-4

May 24

Prelims Last 16/32

1st session

48kg Michael Donoghue (Ireland) beat Zoltan Cservak (Hungary) 5-0
48kg Robyn Kelly (Ireland) beat Iryna Melnyk (Ukraine) 5-0
66kg Taylor Guiney (Ireland) beat Orhan Mehmet (Turkey) 5-0
66kg Tiegan Farrell (Ireland) beat Petra Kovacs (Hungary) 5-0
80+kg Thomas McDonnell (Ireland) lost to Dzmitry Barysav (Belarus) 1-4
50kg Jason Nevin (Ireland) lost to Saba Tkebuchave (Georgia) 1-4
57kg Martin McCullough (Ireland) beat Kevin Bohm (Sweden) 5-0
60kg Shelby Myres (Ireland) lost to Maryna Muliarchk (Belarus) 2-3
63kg Thomas King (Ireland) lost to Niv Rahamin (Israel) 1-4
80kg James Ward (Ireland) lost to Jack Turnbull (England) 2-3

Irish squad

Female

46kg Breda Quilligan (Rathkeale)
48kg Robyn Kelly (Ballynacargy) (Bronze)
50kg Chloe Gabriel (Mulhuddart) (Silver, at least)
52kg Rachael Lawless (Portlaoise) Cpt
54kg Aaliyah Butler (Monivea) (Bronze)
57kg Nicole O’Sullivan (Corinthians)
60kg Shelby Myres (Crumlin)
63kg Winnie McDonagh (Neilstown) (Silver, at least)
66kg Tiegan Farrell (Arklow) (Bronze)
70kg Shauna Doherty (Sacred Heart, Dublin)
75kg Dearbhla Tinnelly (Clann Naofa) (Bronze)
80kg Margaret Stokes (Callan)

Male

46kg Dylan Eagleson (St Pauls, Antrim)
48kg Michael Donoghue (St Michaels Athy) (Silver, at least)
50kg Jason Nevin (Olympic Mullingar)
52kg Donagh Keary (Rathfriland)
54kg Mustafa Edris (Monkstown, Dublin)
57kg Martin McCullough (Gleann) (Bronze)
60kg Michael McCarthy (Mayfield)
63kg Thomas King (Ratoath)
66kg Taylor Guiney (Drimnagh) (Bronze)
70kg Eoghan Lavin (Ballyhaunis) Cpt
75kg Mark Duffy (Charlestown)
80kg John Ward (Brosna)
80+kg Thomas McDonnell (Docklands)

IABA President: Dominic O’Rourke
Team managers: Eugene O’Kane Snr and Anne Murphy
Coaches: Billy McClean, James Doyle, Gerard McDaid, John Gallagher, Aoife Hennigan
R&J: Loughlin Gannon