Amy Broadhurst and Lisa O’Rourke are through to the final of their respective weight classes at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships Istanbul 2022.
Broadhurst and O’Rourke are just the fourth ever Irish boxers to reach a Women’s World Championship final, following in the footsteps of Katie Taylor and Kellie Harrington.
Two from two! Lisa O’Rourke hasn’t even won an Irish title as a senior yet but the Roscommon woman (and Rossies midfielder) is through to an Elite World Championship final just seven weeks after winning the European U22s. What an unbelievable sporting talent! pic.twitter.com/a0oQB19ftT
— Gavan Casey (@GavanCasey) May 18, 2022
Broadhurst who fights at Light-Welterweight (60-63kg) and O’Rourke who fights at Light-Middleweight booked their place in the final after victory over India’s Parveen Hooda and Turkey’s Sema Caliskan, respectively.
Competing in her fifth World Championships, Dundalk’s Broadhurst was the first of the fighters to enter the ring as she faced 19-year-old Indian Hooda. It was a was a hard-fought win for Broadhurst who had to showcase her vast skillset to overcome her challenger and take the fight on a majority 4-1 decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29). The 25-year old will now face Algeria’s Imane Khelif in tomorrow’s final.
#TeamIreland boxers and podiums 💪 💪
Phenomenal week for both Amy Broadhurst and Lisa O’Rourke 🙌guaranteed at least a silver at the World Championships 🤯
📸 @Inphosports 💥 pic.twitter.com/xWFZXtOFyZ
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) May 18, 2022
For Castlerea’s Lisa O’Rourke it has been a coming of age Championships for the Roscommon star. Less than two months after being crowned European U-22 champion, she is now boxing for gold at her debut Senior World Championships – and in some style too. It was a unanimous victory for O’Rourke who defeated Caliskan 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.
For O’Rourke, attention now turns to the final where she will face Helena Alcinda from Mozambique. Alcidina created history of her own as she became the first Mozambican boxer to medal at the World Championships. It will be a serious test for O’Rourke, coming up against Alcinda’s experience, the Mozambican fighter finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympic Games in the Welterweight division.