Heroic Offaly boxer assured of World Championship medal
Walsh will now box for a place in the world final and a guaranteed silver medal
OFFALY boxer Grainne Walsh is assured of at least a bronze medal after a heroic fight at the World Championships on Wednesday evening.
Tullamore fighter Walsh overcame terrific odds overcame China's Yang Lu in a thrilling 65kg clash to qualify for the semi-finals in Liverpool. She will box Kazakhstan's Aida Abiikeya for a place in the final – if she wins that she will be assured of a silver medal and will be boxing for gold in the final. The precise schedule for both semi-final days has yet to be released but Grainne will box in Friday’s Evening Session, beginning at 6pm.
It has been a sensational championships for Walsh, who will be absolutely thrilled at winning a world medal, though she will be determined to change the colour of this.
Now competing for St Mary's Boxing.Club in Tallaght, Walsh qualified for the quarter-finals with 5-0 wins over Spain’s Mariana Soto Torres Jessica Triebelova of Slovakia.
Her win on Wednesday evening was her biggest in the tournament. She overcame an Olympic silver medallist in Lu, banishing her own frustration at not making progress at the Paris games and also had to battle a point deduction in the second round.
It was as tense as it comes as the judges gave Walsh a 3-2 win: 28: 28: 29: 27, 28: 28, 28: 28, 29: 27.
A former Irish underage soccer international and living in Tullamore, Walsh is the daughter of a Killeigh native and well known local business man, Gerry Walsh and a Kilcavan woman and journalist, Geraldine Grennan.
She was one of two Offaly boxers in the World Championships. Daingean man Brian Kennedy made his exit in his 85kg last sixteen bout with Ukraine's Danylo Zhasan on Tuesday evening.
Boxing for St Brigid's Boxing Club in Edenderry, Kennedy was not helped by a second round point deduction as he lost a 5-0 decision: 30: 26, 30: 26, 30:25, 30: 26, 30: 26.
Walsh will now turn her attention to the semi-final and while she would have taken a bronze medal with open arms before the championships, she will now be setting her sights much higher