EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – The Draw is In
The European Elite Championships draw is in! 9 Team Ireland boxers begin their tournaments two wins away from a medal.
Reigning World Champion Aoife O’Rourke and 2022 World Youth champ Cliona D’Arcy start at the quarter-finals stage.
2024 European champion, Mayo’s Shannon Sweeney, gets her championships underway at the Last 16 stage on Saturday against Italy’s Chiara Mosetti. Poland’s Angelika Krysztoforska awaits the winner at 48kg medal stages in Monday’s quarter-final.
Paris Olympian Daina Moorehouse renews rivalry with Bulgaria’s Zlatislava Chukanova in the Last 16 of the 51kg category in Saturday’s Afternoon Session. The pair last met at the 2nd Olympic Qualifier in Bangkok in the battle for a quota place – the Wicklow native was the victor that time. Awaiting the winner in the quarter-finals is World and European Games bronze medalist, Spain’s Laura Fuentes Fernandez.
Jenny Lehane has a bye, and is face to face with fellow Paris Olympian Wassila Lkhadiri in the 54kg Last 16 stage in Sunday’s Afternoon Session. The pair didn’t meet in Paris, as Lkhadiri contested at 50kg and met Mooreshouse a at Last 16 stage. The winner will take on either Finland or Poland at the medal stages on September 23rd.
Double Olympian and 2026 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Michaela Walsh also has a bye and opens her account at Last 16 stage in Monday’s Evening Session against Montenegro’s Bojana Gojkovic. Poland, Slovakia or Bulgaria will take on the winner on September 23rd for a 57kg medal.
Team Ireland’s Kellie McLoughlin also benefits from a bye to the Last 16 of in the Women’s lightweight category. She’ll take on seasoned French campaigner, Sthélyne Grosy, who has recently moved up to 60kg. She’s a multiple European U22/U23 medalist. The victor in that bout will contest for a medal against either Poland’s Olga Pavlina Papdatou or GB’s Amy Broadhurst.
Evelyn Igharo is two wins away from a medal in the 70kg category – she’s first in action against Belarusian Aryna Danilchyk in Sunday’s Afternoon Session. The winner of that contest will box for a medal against England, Romania or Denmark.
Reigning World Champion Aoife O’Rourke must wait until Tuesday to begin her tournament. She’s starting at 75kg quarter final stage, against the winner of the Last 16 contest between Poland and France.
Her sister, 2022 World champ and 2025 World silver medalist, Lisa O’Rourke, is boxing for the first time at 80kg. She’s in Last 16 action against Vasiliki Stavridou of Greece in Saturday’s Evening Session. Stavridou is a European and European U23 medalist. England’s Emily Asquith will contest against the winner of that bout for a medal.
80+kg Cliona D’Arcy faces Poland’s Elżbieta Wójcik for a medal, having a bye to the quarter finals. That’s on Sunday’s Evening Session. Wójcik is a two time European Games bronze medalist, a double European Championship silver medalist. The winner of that contest will meet either Turkey or Ukraine in the semi finals.
Paris Olympian, and 2026 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Jude Gallagher boxes a Last 32 contest on Friday against Slovakia’s Maksym Bocarov. The winner there will take on France’s Lounes Hamraoi in the Last 16.
Dean Clancy, a 65kg Paris Olympian, is also first in action on Friday’s Evening Session, taking on Germany’s Mohamed Siala in a Last 32 bout. The victor will meet France’s Hugo Grau at Last 16 stage. Clancy and Grau last met, competitively, in the Ireland V France international in the National Stadium in February, and sparred during Boxing Ireland’s Commonwealth Games Camp in Belfast in July.
Gavin Rafferty benefits from a bye to the 75kg Last 16, and first boxes against Mateusz Urban of Poland in Monday’s Evening Session. Urban won bronze in the World Boxing Cup China. The winner will move on to the quarter-finals to contests against Bulgaria, Belgium or Slovakia.
And heavyweight Paris Olympian, Jack Marley, also has a bye to the Last 16 and will take on either Aryan Panah Saed or Croatia’s Petar Leskur in Sunday’s Afternoon Session.
The team includes double Olympian, reigning World champion, and four-time continental champion, Aoife O’Rourke and her sister, Lisa, the 2022 World champ and 2025 World silver medalist. They are joined by 6 Paris Olympians: Daina Moorehouse (51kg), Jenny Lehane (54kg), Jude Gallagher (60kg), Dean Clancy (65kg), Jack Marley (90kg) and 57kg Michaela Walsh, the Commonwealth Games silver medalist at the weight. CWG 70kg champion, Jon McConnell, will also be competing in Sofia. The team is completed by 2024 European champion, Shannon Sweeney, World Youth champion and European U23 bronze medalist Cliona D’Arcy, Evelyn Igharo (70kg) and Gavin Rafferty (75kg).
