OLYMPIC lightweight champion Kellie Harrington will open Team Ireland’s challenge at the European Games on Friday at 12pm, Irish time.
The tournament in Zakopane, Poland is an Olympic qualification event and a total of 44 places at the Paris 2024 Games are up for grabs.
Harrington gets the ball rolling for the fighting Irish in a contest against Slovakia’s Miroslava Jedinakova. Also in action on the opening day is Jude Gallagher (57kg) from Newtownstewart. The Commonwealth Games star will meet Bulgaria’s Javier Ibanez Diaz in the fourth bout of the session and, four bouts later, Dean Clancy (63.5kg) meets Austria’s Arsen Chabyan.
In all 319 boxers will contest the tournament and three more Team Ireland boxers will be in action on the second day. Jennifer Lehane (54kg) boxes Serbia’s Sara Cirkovic, Michaela Walsh (57kg) meets Olga Pavlina Papadatou of Greece and Kelyn Cassidy (80kg) takes on Mindaugas Gedminas of Norway.
In all weights excepting 75kg, 51kg and 92kg, a semi-final finish will win qualification for Paris. In these three weights, a finals finish is required.
