Introducing the Ireland European Youth Championship Team
Dublin duo Yasmin Meredith and Bobbi Flood have been handed the honour of captaining their country on the international stage.
The decorated underage talents will co-captain a 24 strong Irish Under-18 team picked to compete in the European Youth Championships.
Meredith of Corinthians Boxing Club has European previous winning Continental School Girl gold in 2018 and but for the pandemic may have had more international success. Emerging Cabra talent Flood has yet to win a medal in the vest of Ireland but has six Irish titles across various age groups to his name and is said to be a strong voice within the group.
The decorated duo are two 22 Irish fighters selected on one of the biggest ever Irish teams to travel abroad.
Six time Irish champion Patsy Joyce has a chance to do it on the international stage, the vocal West Meath teen, who counts Billy Joe Saunders as a fan will look to improve his 33-0 record in the Europeans.
Ireland’s female representative at 48kg is already aware of what it’s like to do well in the Continental arena. Setanta’s Georgia McGovern is European School Girl silver medal winner and will be hoping to add to her International medal collection over the coming week or so.
16-year-old Katie O’Keefe is in a similar postion the Kanturk 50kg fighter also knows what its like to medal at European level and has been selected to try and repeat her School Girl feat at Youth level.
Louth favourite Adam McKenna, 16 won his first Irish title in February and makes his international debut this week, fighting for Ireland at 51kgs.
Esther Lambe is another Setanta fighter on the young team but another with experience of stepping onto the European podium, something she will hope to do again as a 52kg participant in Sofia.
At 54kg Shakira Donoghue of Templemore has her sights on being Katie Taylor kind of successful and now has the chance to win one of the very few boxing trinckets not in the icon lightweight world champion’s medal cabinet – Youth Europeans were not a thing for female boxers when Taylor was under-18.
Six time Irish champoin Gavin Ryan will look to go from dominating domestically to performing at the next level as he competes at 54kg.
The latest Donoghue to box out of St Michaels Athy, John Donoghue begins his International career in Bulgaria the Irish champion hoping to make a mark at 57kgs.
Neilstown’s first-ever female Irish champion, Winnie McDonagh will look to add to the European gold she won in the same Schoolgirl competition Meredith nearly four years ago, as she competes in the 63kg class.
Tom McDonnell’s fairy tale year continues as he was picked to wear the Irish vest at 63.5. The Docklands fighter put himself in the frame for selection after winning an Irish title at the fourth time of asking in February and continued to impress selectors throughout training camp.
Olympic’s Jason Nevin, a cousin of Patsy Joyce a winner of nine Irish titles came through one of the toughest classes in Ireland to earn his spot on the plane to Bulgaria. Nevin first beat an International with European experience in Blaine Fitzgerald, before being pitted against European Schoolboy gold medal winner Michael Faulkner.
Then having overcome the Cork fighter, the Olympic BC teen was faced with tricky southpaw Brian Gilroy in the decider, whom he defeated 4-1 in a highly entertaining clash at the National Stadium, to win hard-earned honours.
He’ll now attempt to get the better of the best at his weight in Europe to earn International glory. The latest fighter off the OLOL and Donovan production line, Jim Donovan has been picked at 60kgs.
A 24 strong team has been named to contest the European Youth Championships in Bulgaria.
— IABA (@IABABOXING) April 10, 2022
The team has been in a week long training camp, and departs for Sofia on Tuesday🥊https://t.co/vZ59b9L25q pic.twitter.com/ROE1JHsUJ5
A cousin to Paddy and Edward Donovan and a fighter Andy Lee is big on is a genuine medal hope.
St Annes Laura Moran, 70kg is another with plenty of domestic experience who will be itching to compete at European level.
Jobstown middleweight Joshua Olaniyan will look to bring a second European medal home to his family mantlepiece. The talented prospect’s brother Adam is a 2019 European Schoolboy medal winner.
Carlow’s Emma Keating, whose sister Claire is also an Irish champion, makes her European Championships debut at 75kg having proved herself ready for a major international tournament.
Clann Naofa’s Dearbhla Tinnelly a European Schoolgirls finalist is back in Continental competition and wears the Irish vest again, this time at 81kgs.
Cliona Darcy of Tobar Pheadair fulfilled a dream by being selected to travel with Ireland and will now look to realise her medal goal at 81kgs.
Heavyweight David J McDonagh won the Irish title at the fourth time of asking in February at it appears he timed it perfect as it allowed him the chance to impress selectors just as the Europeans were returning.
Bernie Cawley of St Davids is the super heavyweight representative and is another debutant at international level.
