Team Ireland Triumphs with Five Wins at Euro U23 Championships

Team Ireland concluded the second day of the European U23 Championships in Hungary with an impressive tally of five victories and secured a second medal. In the standout performance, Cliona D’Arcy dominated her quarter-final match against Ukraine’s Viktoriia Shcherbyna, winning decisively with a score of 5-0. The judges awarded the fight with scores of 28:29, 27:30, 27:30, 27:30, and 27:30, ensuring D’Arcy at least a bronze medal. She is set to compete for an upgraded medal on March 15, 2024, against Turkey’s Türkmen Hikmetgul.

D’Arcy’s achievement marks Team Ireland’s second medal of the tournament, following Tiffany Spencer, who has also secured a bronze by virtue of a bye to the semi-finals in the 48kg category. The strong performances continued with Roy Colgan, who advanced to the quarter-finals after a tightly contested 3-2 split decision victory over Germany’s Denis Bril. The judges’ scores were 30:26, 29:27, 27:29, 28:28, and 27:29. Colgan will face Ukraine’s Artur Kuzmenko for a chance at a medal on Thursday.

In the 70kg category, Tadgh O’Donnell also stands one win away from securing a medal. He achieved a commanding 5-0 victory over Croatia’s Petar Kresimir Knezevic, with the judges scoring the bout as follows: 27:30, 27:30, 26:30, 27:30, and 27:30. O’Donnell will compete against Welsh boxer Orlando Holley-Sotomi in his next match.

Rebecca Kavanagh fought her way into the quarter-finals with a close 3-2 victory over Latvia’s Laura Jakovleva. The judges awarded Kavanagh the win with scores of 29:28, 29:28, 27:30, 28:29, and 29:28. She will next face Lithuania’s Beatricé Savickaite in her quest for a medal.

Additionally, Gavin Ryan earned a place in the quarter-finals with a unanimous decision win over Greece’s Georgios Pleas. The judges scored the bout 28:29, 28:29, 27:30, 27:30, and 27:30. Ryan will be back in action tomorrow against Taghi Nasibov of Azerbaijan, aiming for a medal.

The day was not without disappointment, as Patsy Joyce exited the championships due to disqualification after an intense bout against Ukraine’s Maksym Zymenko. This match included a standing count for Zymenko in the second round and resulted in point deductions for Joyce throughout. The final scores reflected these deductions: 17:19, 16:20, 17:19, 16:20, and 18:18.

In another match, Rachel Lawless showcased a valiant effort in her opening bout but ultimately lost to Spain’s Salmeron Gutierrez on a scoreline of 30:27, 29:28, 29:28, 30:27, and 30:27.

A total of 271 boxers from 32 federations are competing for gold at this inaugural confederation-level World Boxing U23 Championships. The participating federations include Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Wales.

As the competition progresses, Team Ireland aims to build on this momentum and secure further medals in the upcoming bouts.