LAST UPDATE | 19 Oct 2022
CAITLIN FRYERS, KELLIE Harrington and Aoife O’Rourke picked up on Wednesday where their Irish teammates left off on an already record-breaking Tuesday at the European Championships, ensuring that Zaur Antia’s team will leave Montenegro with an extraordinary seven medals.
This marks a historic haul for an Irish team: the country’s previous record medal total at a single Women’s Europeans was three, and no Irish team — male or female — has ever taken home seven from any of the three biggest tournaments (Europeans, Worlds, Olympics).
All-action Belfast woman Fryers took the tally to five on Wednesday afternoon with a thoroughly deserved 3-2 split-decision victory over Bulgarian champ Zlatislava Chukanova in their 50kg quarter-final, securing a spot on the flyweight podium and her own first medal at a major international championship.
Immaculata BC’s Fryers, a decorated underage star, dominated her bout with Chukanova before coasting through the final round with the deal all but already sealed on the five judges’ scorecards.
At 60kg (lightweight), meanwhile, Olympic champion Harrington will continue on her quest for a first European Championship gold after squeezing past an excellent Englishwoman in the shape of Shona Whitwell in their last-eight clash. Harrington also earned a 3-2 split on her way to the semis.
Harrington, too, had victory all but banked entering the closer but her contest with Whitwell was anything but comfortable. The Englishwoman matched the Dubliner for significant spells throughout the first two rounds but Harrington, whose last European efforts were thwarted by injury in 2019, was able to eek out the extra few percent that still seemingly separates her even from world-class opposition.
🥉🥉🥉🥉🥉#TeamIreland's 60kg, Kellie Harrington has guaranteed herself a semi-final place, and at least a bronze medal, following a 3-2 win over England pic.twitter.com/c7TnBwLrl4
— IABA (@IABABOXING) October 19, 2022
Roscommon’s Aoife O’Rourke, who boxes out of Olympic BC in Galway, became European champion in 2019 and she, too, is now two fights away from rediscovering that glory in her 75kg (middleweight) bracket.
The Castlerea woman, older sister to 70kg world champion Lisa O’Rourke who missed out on these Europeans through injury, won a 4-1 split over Turkey’s Busra Isildar to advance to the semis and guarantee Ireland a seventh medal in Montenegro.
Fryers, Harrington and O’Rourke joined Belfast’s Michaela Walsh, Mayo’s Shannon Sweeney, Dundalk’s Amy Broadhurst and Cork’s Christina Desmond (a replacement for the injured O’Rourke sister) in securing at least bronze at these championships.
There was disappointment earlier in the day, however, for welterweight (66kg), Kaci Rock, daughter of former four-weight Irish champion (professional) Jim Rock, who was beaten in her quarter-final by Germany’s Stefanie von Berge on a convincing unanimous decision.
Von Berge and the German team are coached by Irishman Eddie Bolger, who departed Ireland’s High Performance setup in 2017.
Ireland squad
- 48kg: Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s, Mayo
- 50kg: Caitlin Fryers, Immaculata BC, Belfast
- 52kg: Carly McNaul, Ormeau Road BC, Belfast
- 54kg: Niamh Fay, Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC, Dublin
- 57kg: Michaela Walsh, Emerald BC, Belfast
- 60kg: Kellie Harrington, St. Mary’s BC, Dublin
- 63kg: Amy Broadhurst, St. Bronagh’s ABC, Newry
- 66kg: Kaci Rock, Enniskerry BC, Wicklow
- 70kg: Christina Desmond, Dungarvan BC/Garda BC
- 75kg: Aoife O’Rourke, Olympic BC, Galway
