The Olympic Federation of Ireland has officially selected the ten boxers who will compete for Team Ireland at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Ireland will field boxers in all female categories in the competition which takes place from the 27 July – 10 August 2024. The preliminary rounds of the boxing take place in the Arena Paris Nord, while the semi-finals and the finals will be held in the iconic Rolland Garros Stadium.
Boxing is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport, boasting 18 of our 38 medals. One of the medallists returning to the Olympic ring is Olympic Champion, Kellie Harrington.
Speaking on her official selection, Harrington, said,
“I’m heading out for my second Olympic Games, and I can’t wait. It’s a big team, we have ten boxers, which is fantastic. The biggest difference between Tokyo and this Olympics is that there will be people in the crowd, and with that a lot of noise, so it will be all about us controlling our emotions. I’m glad to be part of history, as this will be the hundredth year that Team Ireland competed in the Olympic Games – so we are already part of history.”
Olympic Federation of Ireland Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, Gavin Noble said,
“We are very proud of our strong boxing history, and with this being our centenary year, we are delighted to confirm one of our biggest boxing teams. An immense amount of work has gone in behind the scenes by the IABA team to get these athletes to this level, and we would like to commend the work of the high performance team, as well as all the clubs and coaches who have contributed to our Olympic boxers.”
Speaking on the official selection, Performance Director, Tricia Heberle said,
“The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of our sport. That we have qualified the largest Boxing team since Rome of 1960, speaks not only to the strength of our High Performance programme, supported by the OFI, Sport Ireland and SportNI, but also to the quality of coaching in the clubs in which our Paris athletes began their boxing careers. Team Ireland is the only NOC in Europe to have qualified a full team of women, which is a remarkable achievement given that Paris 2024 is only the fourth Olympic cycle in which women may box. That our team includes two Tokyo medalists in Kellie Harrington and Aidan Walsh shows just how exceptional this group of athletes is. They are well prepared, they are focused on their key performance goals and they are ready to contest at the highest possible level.”
This brings to seventy-six the official number of athletes who have so far been selected to represent Team Ireland at Paris 2024, a Games that will see us celebrate our centenary competing as a nation at the Olympic Games. The team announcements for each sport will follow over the coming weeks, with the final team announcement scheduled for the beginning of July. The Olympic Games in Paris will run from the 24th July to the 11th August 2024, with the Opening Ceremony taking place on the 26th of July.
TEAM IRELAND PARIS BOXING ANNOUNCEMENT:
Athletes:
Kellie Harrington (Dublin) Women’s 60kg
Aidan Walsh (Belfast) Men’s 71kg
Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea) Women’s -75kg
Daina Moorehouse (Bray) Women’s -50kg
Dean Clancy (Sligo) Men’s 63.5kg
Grainne Walsh (Tullamore) Women’s -66kg
Jude Gallagher (Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone) Men’s -57kg
Jennifer Lehane (Ashbourne, Co. Meath) Women’s -54kg
Jack Marley (Sallynoggin, Dublin) Men’s -92kg
Michaela Walsh (Belfast) Women’s -57kg
Staff:
Tricia Heberle – Performance Director & Team Leader
Zauri Antia – Head Coach
Damian Kennedy – Coach
Lynne McEnery – Coach
James Doyle – Coach
Jim Clover – Doctor
Lorcan McGee – Physio
Paula Fitzpatrick - Physiologist
Bios
Kellie Harrington
Age: 34
Weight Class: 60kg (Lightweight)
Hometown: Portland Row, Dublin
Club: St Mary’s BC, Tallaght
Club coach: Noel Burke
Dean Clancy
Age: 23
Weight Class: 63.5kg (Lightweight)
Hometown: Sligo.
Club: Sean McDermott BC, Manorhamilton.
Club coach: Jason Clancy (father).
Jude Gallagher
Age: 22
Weight Class: -57kg (Featherweight)
Hometown: Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone
Club: Two Castles BC
Club Coach: John Gallagher (father) & Eric Donovan
Jennifer Lehane
Age: 25
Weight Class: -54kg (Bantamweight)
Hometown: Ashbourne, Co Meath.
Club: DCU BC.
Club coach: Derek Aherne
Jack Marley
Age: 21
Weight Class: -92kg (Heavyweight)
Hometown: Sallynoggin, Co Dublin
Club: Monkstown BC
Coach: John Paul Kinsella
Daina Moorehouse
Age: 22
Weight Class: -50kg (Flyweight)
Hometown: Bray, Co Wicklow
Club: Enniskerry BC.
Club coach: Paul O’Toole.
Aoife O’Rourke
Age: 27
Weight Class: -75kg (Middleweight)
Hometown: Tarmon, Co Roscommon
Club: Castlerea BC
Coach: Paddy Sharkey
Aidan Walsh
Age: 27
Weight Class: 71kg (Welterweight)
Hometown: Belfast
Club: Holy Family BC, Belfast
Coach: Damian Walsh & Gerry Storey
Grainne Walsh
Age: 28
Weight Class: 66kg (Welterweight)
Hometown: Tullamore, Co Offaly.
Club: St Mary’s BC, Tallaght.
Club coach: Noel Burke
Michaela Walsh
Age: 31
Weight Class: 57kg (Featherweight)
Hometown: Belfast
Club: Holy Family BC
Coach: Damian Walsh & Gerry Storey
