A NICE PECK FROM THE WEE ROOSTER
BRENDAN IRVINE became Ireland’s first silver medallist at the inaugural European Games yesterday, with the 19-year-old Belfast light-flyweight, known as the ‘Wee Rooster’, going down to a valiant split-decision points loss to Russia’s Bator Sagaluev. Katie Taylor is among the Irish in action today.
BRENDAN IRVINE battled to the end but the teenage lightflyweight had to settle for silver at the European Games yesterday, after a split-decision defeat to experienced Russian, Bator Sagaluev.
The Belfast boxer lost the first round but was unfortunate not to win the second after some impressive counter-punching. He was awarded the third, but narrowly missed out on gold. However, the 19-year- old is now eligible for a spot at the World Championship in Doha if selected and has a promising future ahead of him.
Elsewhere, Sam and Joshua Magee won Ireland’s first medal outside the ring when they booked a place in the semi-finals of the men’s badminton doubles with a 2-1 win over the Belgian pair of Matijs Dierickx and Freek Golinski. The Letterkenny brothers are now guaranteed at least bronze.
Dubliner Scott Evans secured a place in the men’s singles quarterfinals as he eased past Bulgaria’s Blagovest Kisyov.
Ireland’s women 3x3 basketball team j ust missed out on the podium, when they went down 21-15 to the Russian Federation in their quarter-final.
Meanwhile in the pool, Ireland’s 4 x100m medley relay team secured sixth place in yesterday’s final in a race where Russia took gold in a new World Junior record of 4:03:22. The Irish quarter of Danielle Hill, Mona McSharry, Emma Reid and Rachel Bethel set a new Irish Junior record of 4:16;81.
Reid set a new Irish junior record of 1:01.97 in the 100m butterfly semi-final, but agonisingly missed out on a final place by 0.37 of a second while Bethel finished 14th in the 200m freestyle.
Three Irish boxers fight for a place in the final today. Katie Taylor takes on hometown favourite Tana Alekseevna at around 8.45am (Irish time) while later, lightweight Seán McComb faces Albert Selimov in his semi-final. Impressive middleweight Michael O’Reilly takes on Russia’s Maxim Koptyakov in the last four.
It is also a busy day for the Irish in the pool with 11 in action.
Rachel Bethel, Danielle Hill and Mona McSharry and Isssie Hayes. all swim in the 50m freestyle, while Hill also goes in the 100m backstroke with Hayes.
McSharry joins Niamh Kilgallen in the 100m breaststroke heats, while Andrew Moore competes in the men’s event. Alan Corby and Rory McEvoy both compete in the 50m backstroke, while Corby, James Brown and Benjamin Doyle all go in t he 100m butterfly. OLYMPIC champion Olga Kharlan, heavily involved in the international promotion of the inaugural European Games, was yesterday knocked out of the fencing without competing once in public.
With the women’s early rounds taking place back stage to allow for the men to compete in the main Crystal Hall, the 24-year-old Ukrainian — one of the highestprofile female athletes in Baku — lost four of her five pool bouts.
Kharlan refused to talk to reporters afterwards.