Bronze Age: Ireland secure Euro youth championship medals

IABA Press officer Bernard O’Neill
Michael O’Reilly, Joe Fitzpatrick and Gary Sweeney guaranteed Ireland another three bronze medals at the European Youth Championships at the Citywest Convention Centre last night.

But team captain Michael McDonagh, Kieran Forde and Evan Metcalfe bowed out of the tournament following last-eight reversals this afternoon and evening.

Earlier today, Stephen Broadhurst and Jack Morrissey guaranteed Ireland’s first bronze medals of the Championships with quarter-final wins.

Belfast flyweight Fitzpatrick (Immaculata BC) got Ireland off to a positive start tonight with a 15-14 verdict over Tural Ahmadov of Azerbaijan.

And O’Reilly, who boxes out of the Portlaoise BC, followed that up with a convincing 18-5 win over English welterweight Damon Jones.

Mayo light-heavy Sweeney (All Stars BC) completed the hat-trick with a well deserved 10-6 decision over 2010 European Junior champ Aleksandre Dokvadze of Georgia.

Dundalk middleweight Broadhurst beat Scotland’s Grant Quigley 8-5 this afternoon, followed by a 15-10 win for Morrissey over Paulius Zujevaz of Lithuania.

But McDonagh, boxing in the lightweight category, was on the wrong end of a 9-6 reversal to Azerbaijani southpaw Parviz Baghirov this evening, while Forde was agonisingly edged out on a double countback versus Ievegenii Parkhomenko of the Ukraine

Metcalfe was also desperately unlucky, the Crumlin BC light-flyweight losing 15-14 to 2009 AIBA World Junior champ Koryan Soghomonyan this afternoon.

Friday’s semi-finals will be held over two session beginning at 2pm and 7pm.

The finals will be held Saturday beginning at 2.30pm.