Olympic Experience Gives Lehane a World of World Championship Belief
Jenny Lehane says her Paris Olympic journey has given her the belief she needs to make a major impact at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool next week.
The Rathdown bantamweight, who made her Games debut in 2024, admits she learned plenty from her short stay in Paris.
While her Olympic campaign didn’t end in medals, she insists that qualification and sharing the ring with the very best reinforced her confidence and raised her ambitions.
“Once it all worked out and I qualified, even coming up against the Olympic champion in the first round, as unfortunate as it was, kind of proved to myself that I did belong in the ring with the best of the best,” Lehane reflected.
“Although I was beaten, it wasn’t a standout kind of loss. It was kind of a way in my mind to show myself that I’m among the best in the world. Even seeing Kellie Harrington going on to win the gold: bigger dreams are set in my mind now.”
The DCU boxer is now part of a strong 17-strong Irish team heading to Liverpool, where she begins her World Championship campaign on Thursday – and with bigger dreams being dreamt, she is targeting a podium spot.
“My first fight is next Thursday and hopefully going forward from that, we will get onto a medal stage,” she said.
“Right now, I am focused on that next chapter, which is LA 2028. I suppose all I can do what is focus on what I can do in the ring. Just focus on my own tactics that my coaches and I have gone through the night before.”
The 27-year-old knows the importance of keeping her focus narrow in major competitions.
“All you can do is your best. If you let your mind wonder off to external things that you can’t control, your mind can go in a spiral,” she explained.
