Lisa O’Rourke and Aoife O’Rourke have made boxing historical past by changing into the primary sisters to win via to contest a World Championship remaining in the identical match.
Each sisters, from Tarmon Co. Roscommon, contested their semi-finals on Friday and received.
Aoife O’Rourke, who containers at 75kg, was between the ropes first. The double Olympian and 4-time continental champion met dwelling boxer, Serbia’s Nikolina Gajic. The older o the 2 boxing siblings was dominant from the off, and her physicality received out – giving standing counts within the second and third spherical. The referee additionally had a low tolerance for holding, and deducted some extent from Gajic following cautions within the second spherical. The choice was unanimous. Talking O’Rourke mentioned “I’m completely delighted. Can’t consider it. Delighted and grateful to be on this place heading in to the finals….I knew that the coaches would have a superb plan in place and if I might implement it, it might work. Fortunately, it did!”
Youthful sister Lisa O’Rourke, a 2022 World Champion, adopted her sibling into the ultimate. The Rosscomon footballer contested towards Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanov and got here out the correct facet of a really tangled, testy bout marked by holding. O’Rourke misplaced the primary spherical, however battled all through to achieve dominace. There was a really tense anticipate the choice, because it went to a bout overview. The judges had scored the bout a 3-2 break up within the Kazakh boxer’s favour – 29:28; 27:30; 28:29; 29:28; 28:29. Nonetheless, each Bout Evaluate officers felt the Irish boxer received, and so the choice went to her 4:3. Talking after she mentioned “Robust battle. Undoubtedly. The Kazakh, within the first spherical, she actually put me a number of steps behind. I dug deep and listened to the coaches and, fortunately, bought via the second spherical and completed it off within the third”.
Crew Eire Head Coach, Zauri Antia, mirrored on the silver medal winners performances, and appears in direction of Sunday’s finals:
In all, 239 boxers from 51 federations are contesting this match; in 2023, the final iteration of those championships, 324 boxers from 64 federations competed.
The finals line-up is now full: Kazakhstan and Russia, with 5 boxers apiece, have the joint highest variety of finalists. Each entered full squads of 12 boxers in to the match. Turkey, which additionally entered a full squad, has 4 finalists. Eire, China and Thailand have 2 finalists every. Eire entered 8 boxers, China 12 and Thailand 4. Korea (6), Morocco (7), Serbia (12) and Uzbekistan (12) all have one finalist.
March fifteenth is a relaxation day on the match, and all finals will probably be boxed on Sunday, March sixteenth
Watch
Boxing will start at 5pm, Irish time. Contests will probably be boxed in weight order, interspersed with medal ceremonies. The finals programme is out there right here
IBA will probably be streaming the finals on its YouTube channel, and the hyperlink will probably be printed nearer to the primary bell on Sunday.
Crew Eire
48kg Carleigh Irving, Oakleaf Boxing Membership, Derry
50kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry Boxing Membership, Wicklow
54kg Jenny Lehane, DCU Athletic Boxing Membership, Dublin
57kg Michaela Walsh, Holy Household GG, Belfast
66kg Grainne Walsh, St. Mary’s BC Tallaght, Dublin
70kg Lisa O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon
75kg Aoife O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon
81+kg Judy Bobbett, Liberty Boxing Membership, Wicklow.
Crew Supervisor, Ciara Plunkett
Head Coach Zauri Antia
Coach Damian Kennedy
Coach Eoin Pluck
Physiotherapist Rob Tuomey.
