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For Ireland’s elite boxers, the long road to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris begins this weekend.
Victory in the final of the National Elite Championship in Dublin on Saturday night offers a chance to move one step closer to realizing the Olympic dream.
The winners of each of the various Olympic weight division finals will be selected to represent Ireland at the European Games in Poland this summer, giving them a first chance to qualify for next year’s Paris Games.
The men’s and women’s finals in Dublin will see a number of celebrities and up-and-comers competing, with several semi-finals on Friday before the main event on Saturday.
BBC Sport showcases some of the big hitters in action.
Kelly Harrington
As the reigning Olympic and European champion, the 33-year-old Dubliner is undoubtedly the crown jewel of Irish amateur boxing.
A successful fighter throughout his career, Harrington’s finest moment came at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. There she lightly defeated Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil to win the gold medal in the lightweight division and became her third Olympic champion in Ireland after Michael Carruth (1992) and Katie Taylor (2012). became.
Harrington hopes to take the first step towards another gold medal in Paris by beating a young Zara Breslin in the 60kg class on Saturday night.
Amy Broadhurst
Dundalk’s Amy Broadhurst had a brilliant 2022, winning Commonwealth, European and World gold medals at lightweight and light welterweight.
Aiming to win her fourth Irish title, the southpaw fighter has been forced to move up to the 66kg division, with Olympian Harrington standing in front of her in her preferred 60kg category. .
The 25-year-old Broadhurst defeated reigning champion Cassie Locke in the semifinals to set up the division decider against 2019 European bronze medalist Grain Walsh.
Saturday could bring more hardware to one of Irish boxing’s biggest Olympic contenders.
Aidan Walsh
Another prominent figure in Irish amateur boxing, Aidan Walsh will focus on winning another national gold medal, building on his bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Walsh, who won Commonwealth gold in Birmingham last summer with her sister Mikaela, took home the bronze from the postponed Olympics in Japan.
After defeating Mauritian boxer Maven Claire in the quarterfinals, he suffered a nasty ankle injury during the celebrations, ruining his chances of contending for the gold medal.
That injury also ruled him out of the European Championships, but Walsh regrouped to join sister Michaela at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer.
He must beat Dean Walsh in the 71kg semi-finals on Friday this weekend to claim gold in Paris next year.
Kaitlyn Flyers
Caitlin Flyers is part of an exciting new generation of Northern Ireland fighters who have already made an impression on the big stage in their fledgling career.
The light-flyweight boxer was a breakout star for Ireland at the last European Championships and won silver for the first time at a major senior international event.
She received a bye to the Irish final after fellow Belfast boxer Carly McNawl withdrew from a tantalizing clash.
The Flyers are keen to pave their way to the Olympics and will face Bray’s Dinah Moorhouse in the 50kg division at National Stadium.
Crepson Dos Santos
The 19-year-old light flyweight is a young and exciting prospect who represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year, losing to Welshman Jake Dodd in the quarterfinals.
Eager to add medals to match his burgeoning reputation, the Bambridge man battled Sean Mulli for gold in the 51 kg division, earning his debut in the Commonwealth his first appearance at European competition. I aim to add.
Dylan Eagleson
After competing in last summer’s Commonwealth Games, several fighters entered in non-Olympic divisions will take part in the weekend’s finals.
This in no way negates them being ineligible for the Olympics, but it does mean they will have a slightly unconventional route to the French capital.
A standout name on this path is young talent Dylan Eagleson. When the 19-year-old decided to compete in his 54kg instead of his 57kg, he frowned.
He won a gold medal in Birmingham and a European Championship silver medalist in Armenia, making his desire to compete in the next Olympics clear.
Bangor will face Jorge Rogra Castano in the 54kg final, looking to build on his impressive work in 2022 with a convincing win.
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