IRELAND’S GREAT HOPE Katie Taylor booked her place at this year’s Olympic Games this morning without even entering the ring.
The reigning world champion was pencilled in to fight Romania’s Michaela Lacatus in the quarter-finals at 8am in China but learned that she would be given a walkover because of a neck injury Lacatus had failed to shake off.
Eyes then turned to the next fight where the defeat of a French fighter meant Taylor, competing as a lightweight, will represent her country at the Olympics for the first time in July.
She still has a semi-final to look forward to but can prepare for that with a significant amount of pressure lifted from her shoulders.
