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‘It’s my time to burst through’ – ‘The Real’ Gráinne Walsh ready to make Euro impact

Gráinne Walsh is confident she will ‘burst through’ onto the International scene in Minsk over the coming week.

The Offally welterweight has established herself as a potential major tournament medalist having claimed EU bronze and getting as close as being one victory away from a World Championship medal in recent years.

Yet while speaking to Irish-Boxing.com this week she claimed the European Games, which glove off in Minsk this Friday, will be her official official breakthrough.

The Spartacus talent claims the ‘real Gráinne Walsh’ will be on display at a major tournament for the first time and as a result she is confident she can go from touching the surface to smashing through it.

“I’m feeling really well prepared for the games. It’s very exciting and I’m really looking forward to showcasing the real Gráinne Walsh. Camp has gone brilliantly so I’m feeling very positive,” she explained before predicting she will have a noteworthy innings at just the second installment of the Games. 

gráinne walsh

“I know I’m up there with the best in the weight internationally and I’ve been touching the surface for a while now, but it’s my time to burst through now onto the scene and take home the goods. I’m really excited for this and I fully believe in myself.”

While claiming it’s time ‘to take home the goods’ suggests the former footballer of note is targeting medals, she assures her sole focus is on performance.

Walsh has been selected for this tournament ahead of her Elite finals defeater Christina Desmond, who topped the podium at the Haringey Box Cup on Sunday, and will be looking to make a statement following what she described as an off night back in February.

“The target is to perform. If I perform to the best of my ability, nobody will beat me.” 

With the method of Olympic qualification up in the air it seems all the International tournaments for 2019 hold the same weight.

The European and World Championships would have acted as qualification tournaments in previous years, but that has changed.

In that regard the Games has the same to offer as the previously more important tournaments. It provides the chance to gain international experience, win a major honour and more importantly prove to the High Performance team you are the fighter at your weight to be sent to any potential 2020 qualifiers.

Walsh isn’t thinking that in depth, she prefers to live and compete in the moment.

“I’m treating this as any normal international competition because it’s easy to get distracted by things in a mixed sport event, but I’m focused on the task at hand.  I’m not even thinking about any [Olympic] qualifications because this isn’t a qualifier. I’m just treating this as another competition and it’s a chance for me to show what I can do.” 

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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