European Championship semi final line up and program
S/final program here
The Irish squad will take a break from training today to visit a ski slope in Samokov.
Conlan, Walsh and Ward will have a light training session his afternoon ahead of Friday’s weigh-in and semi-finals. The finals will be held on Saturday.
Ward and Conlan now have two European Elite medals apiece. Ward, aged just 17, claimed gold in Turkey in 2011 and Conlan secured silver in Belarus in 2013, while Walsh has become the first Wexford boxer to finish in a podium position at this level.
Great Britain (6), Bulgaria (5), Russia (4), and Ireland (3) – courtesy of Michael Conlan, Dean Walsh and Joe Ward – have the highest number of boxers left in the European Elite Championships, which is now at the last-four stage.
Italy (2), Poland (2), Lithuania (2), Spain (2), Georgia (2), Netherlands (2), Croatian (2), Armenia (1), Azerbaijan (1), Hungary (1), Latvia (1), Sweden (1), Belarus (1), Germany (1) and Romania (1) also have representatives through to the business end of the 41st edition of the tournament in Samokov, Bulgaria
All 40 athletes, who have qualified outright for October’s AIBA World Elite Championships in Doha, Qatar by virte of reaching the semi-finals, will be aiming to upgrade their bronze medals to at least silver on Friday.
European Elite Championships 2015
August 7th
Preliminaries (last 32)
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) beat Tadas Tamasauskos (Lithuania) 2-1
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) beat Delalic Abdulnaser (Bosnia & Herzegovina) 3-0
August 8th (last 32)
69kg Adam Nolan (Ireland) beat Onder Sipal (Turkey) 2-0
August 9th (last 32)
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Idris Shakhmonov (Russia) 3-0
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Ireland) lost to Filip Hrgovic (Croatia) 0-3
August 10th (last 16)
56kg Michael Conlan (Ireland) beat Anthony Brett (France) 3-0
64kg Dean Walsh (Ireland) beat Florentin Niculescu (Romania) 3-0
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) lost to Evegeny Tischenko (Russia) 0-3
August 11th (last 16)
69kg Adam Nolan (Ireland) beat Radzhab Butaev (Russia) 3-0
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland beat Nikoloz Selchniashvili (Georgia) 3-0
August 12th (Q/Final)
56kg Michael Conlan (Ireland) beat Frederik Jensen (Denmark) 3-0
64kg Dean Walsh (Ireland) beat Nyeki Georgian (Hungary) 3-0
69kg Adam Nolan (Ireland) lost to Pavel Kastramin (Belarus) 0-3
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Mikhail Dauhaliavets (Belarus) 3-0
August 14th (S/Finals)
56kg Michael Conlan (Ireland) v Francesco Maietta (Italy)
56kg Aram Avagyan (Armenia) v Qais Ashfaq (Great Britain)
64kg Dean Walsh (Ireland) v Vitaly Dunaytev (Russia)
64kg Evaldas Petrauskas (Lithuania) v Pat McCormack (Great Britain)
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) v Hrvoje Sep (Croatia)
81kg Joshua Buatsi (Great Britain) v Peter Mullenberg (Netherlands)
Irish squad
52kg Myles Casey (St Francis)
56kg Michael Conlan (Clonard ABC) (Bronze, at least)
64kg Dean Walsh (St Joesphs/St Ibars) (Bronze, at least)
69kg Adam Nolan (Bray)
81kg Joe Ward (AIBA Pro Boxing) (Bronze, at least)
91kg Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team Manager: Peter O’Donnell
Coaches: Billy Walsh, Zauri Antia and Eddie Bolger
Physiotherapist: Julianne Ryan
Sports Psychologist: Gerry Hussey
Performance Analyst: Alan Swanton
Cuts Man: Dr John Haughey