Silver Linings – Four Fight for Strandja Upgrades today
Four Team Ireland boxers will contest for medal up-grades at the men’s semi-finals Europe’s oldest boxing competition, the Strandja Memorial Tournament, taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria.
222 athletes are contesting Strandja: 143 men and 79 women boxers, from 22 federations, including Ireland: Algeria, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria Chinese Taipei, China (Inner Mongolia), Croatia, Cyprus, England, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Pakistan, Slovakia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Wales. The 18 strong team includes two Paris Olympians in Jack Marley and Dean Clancy, the reigning European 50kg champion, Shannon Sweeney, 2024 European Elite bronze medalist Niamh Fay and two reigning European U23 Champions – Louis Rooney and Patsy Joyce. 48kg Ciara Walsh, contesting her first benchmark tournament, will come home with bronze, following her semi-final today against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Saattibayeva. 48kg Louis Rooney will box for a medal up-grade against Uzbekistan’s Behruz Kholdorov; Team Captain, Adam Hession, meets Tokyo Olympian and 2021 Worl medalist, Serik Temirzhanov of Kazakhstan. Paris Olympian, Dean Clancy, contests for a finals berth against Mukhammedsabyr Bazarbayuulu of Kazakhstan, a fellow Paris Olympian. Heavyweight and Paris alum, Jack Marley meets reigning Asian champ and fellow Olympian, Turabek Khabibullaev Men’s semi-finals will be boxed on Saturday, March 1st. Finals and medal ceremonies will take place on Sunday, March 2nd. The tournament is being streamed by the Bulgarian Boxing Federation on its YouTube channel, HERE Team Ireland Strandja Medalists:
