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LAST UPDATE | 28 Jun 2023
KELLIE HARRINGTON WILL defend her Olympic lightweight title in Paris next year after securing at least a bronze medal at the European Games in Poland.
Harrington bested Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson on a 4-1 split decision to seal her fifth ever continental medal and reach the 60kg semi-finals, becoming a two-time Olympian in the process.
Tokyo gold medallist Harrington had three times previously beaten Alexiusson, who took bronze in this competition four years ago.
Today’s was a high-quality, nail-biting encounter for the first two rounds. Entering the last, Harrington led on two judges’ scorecards, two had it even, and one had it for the Swede — meaning it was all up for grabs in the final three minutes.
The Dubliner came good in the clutch, though, bossing the final round and sweeping it on the cards.
She was deservedly announced a split-decision victor on scores of 30-27 x2, 29-28 x 2, and 28-29.
There were contrasting fortunes for 63kg world and European champion Amy Broadhurst, who was edged out on a 3-2 split by Britain’s Rosie Eccles in their 66kg quarter and will have to take the scenic route to Paris if she is to continue her Olympic pursuit.
With Harrington occupying the Olympic spot at 60kg, Broadhurst was this week competing in the next available slot a full two weight divisions — or 6kg — above her preferred bracket. In the end, size mattered as fully-fledge welterweight Eccles came from behind to dig out the narrowest of wins against the exhausted Dundalk woman.
Broadhurst took the first round 4-1 but began to tire against the naturally larger woman in the second, dropping it 3-2. The fight — and an Olympic spot — was up for grabs entering the last. Indeed, had Broadhurst won it on even one of the five judges’ scorecards, she would have been Paris-bound.
She did her level best to box and move on tired legs, but it was Eccles who landed the more telling blows to sweep the round and book her own spot at next summer’s Games.
Broadhurst, 26, is a far more destructive force at lightweight and light-welter, and there is significant interest in her ability in the professional game. Only time will tell whether she remains amateur and tries again for Paris at the slightly easier world qualifiers, of which there are two next year.
Her fellow world champion Lisa O’Rourke, whose 70kg division is not an Olympic category but who could theoretically come down to 66kg, may have a thing or two to say about that in the meantime.
Earlier, Meath woman Jenny Lehane also fell just short of a medal and an Olympic spot, losing a unanimous decision to 2014 world champion and three-time European champion Stanimira Petrova of Bulgaria in their 54kg quarter-final.
It was a cagey contest with little between them in any round, but ultimately the rangier Petrova exuded enough of a sense of control to bank rounds.
Lehane, like Broadhurst, can still take the backroads to Paris next year.
Written by Gavan Casey and posted on the42.ie
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I don’t and I’m Irish. Don’t remember being asked my opinion… (A system that gives suspended sentences to criminals but puts honest folk in prison for standing up for the truth)
A closeted, cliquey, deluded group of overpaid, borderline-honest, chancers. Recent criminal case I have knowledge of had a barrister ‘afraid’ to introduce a line of questioning for fear he’d ‘annoy’ the judge, and also didn’t want to ‘bushwhack’ his opposite no. in prosecution as “he and his wife were at my wedding”!! Funnily enough, the statement of professional fees I believe had no such hesitancy in boasting of their adroitness though!!
Why do people here respect and trust the legal system here?
The legal system is as bent as the political landscape. They are co-joined twins.
Well holy god seanie, you’re certainly changing your tune about the whole political landscape over the last few weeks. Have you had a political awakening?
I suppose when you start to reject one central aspect of your political discourse that everything else that flows from that will be questioned as well.
What f’ing planet was this report carried out on?
Not a day goes by in this country where the general population aren’t appalled by weak sentences handed down to repeat offenders.
When a rapist walks free with a fine and a suspended sentence…how can you trust them
The 20 Ched Evans fans just disagreed with you ;)
Which case are you taking about where someone convicted of rape was fined, given a suspended sentence and walked away? And did you actually attend court for any of this? Or are you just making assumptions based on reading tabloids.
The corruption within is covertly covered up behind closed doors in secret and held to be just by judges that hold to be independent in their duty wrong or right .,. how more corrupt can it be then this …………………………………………………
Like Irish judges???…
Do Irish judges realise they can impose double digit year sentences on violent criminals???
Another deluded ivory tower dweller. Talking complete and utter gibberish about us trusting the judicial system.
All the top judges are politically appointed so they’re just an extension of the government and to take them on in the courts costs an arm and a leg….Justice system has been bought and paid for a long time ago……it’s a big fat NO from me.
Exactly Derek. To be a judge you have to be politically connected. The way they are appointed is ridiculous. Check out the JAAB.
ALL judges are political signed off on. Not just the higher ones. All of them. Same for Superintendents and above in AGS, are all politically signed off on (an argument can be made that politics also affects sgt and inspector ranks as well, but that’s another day).
Old boys club who live under a big rock
I do not trust you.
This is another prime example of somebody with a heightened sense of importance living on a completely different planet than the rest of us.
I wouldn’t consider the judiciary corrupt, out of touch is another matter, though.
Or perhaps just having an opinion that differs from yours- oh no!
The only citizens who have any faith in the irish judiciary are ones that ain’t been in court in over a decade or the deluded ones that still have blind faith in the rest of our joke of a system
Tatler did that report just after they gave Joan her women of the year award.
I don’t trust them.
Any chance of an auld journal poll to see if this “trust” reflects in journal readers?
I don’t. Judges are corrupt dirtbirds.
I’ll start trusting them when they lock up the charlatans in the DAIL.
Having spent 2 years in court over 3 grams of cannabis which cost the state 10,000. No I am not very confidence in that system, although I legislation change would fix that.
So the revolving door prison system, laughable police force, and criminal tourists aren’t of concern? Only in Ireland.
This is a Eu body report.
By EU standards it is upstanding, fair and trustworthy.
Lol more comedy
Say what? I trust no one not even my shadow that’s a sneaky little thing following you around all day. No faith in justice, courts, police, TD’s, not even in the president.
I guess thats a normal comment coming from a non national
Where did these guys get their information, from the Beano?
Low levels of political corruption, competence and fairness in the legal system? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Seriousy deluded finding. I wouldnt be of their opinion what so ever. Mind boggling
How come they’ve sided with the govt on water charges and not looked at the legality of forcing contracts on people. It’s insane really.
Are they f*cking joking?
” Seem to trust” ? What does that mean or imply? Judges seem to be overpaid? Are they? They seem to make inconsistent , and contradictory judgments. . They seem to be independent, but as political appointees are they. ? I wonder what Louise O’ Keeffe thinks about them.?
Another delusional report. There really wacking them out these days.
It’s actually hard to make out what the report says to be honest.
This case of an ex-judge is all you need to know about our ‘judges’ http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Curtin
The judiciary are owned by the government, all appointed by politicians and know their masters. Were the government to lift the embargo on banks calling in judicial debts, there would be many a defrocked judge and SC. So manners and doing masters bidding is a given. No garlic on my patch, white collar to the back bone old boy!
Justice Denham I’m sure that you don’t have the right to speak for the majority of Irish people. Its not fare that just because you are a judge in the courts that you think people are treated fairly. I had a case in the High Court and I could never say that there was any fairness there. If anything it was because of corruption that I lost my case.
Even I have to question those findings.
Really? I don’t agree. They’re all part of the elite 1%. With money, comes greed and power, with power comes back handers.
“It is also noted that the reduction of public salaries due to the financial crisis may have compromised the constitutional safeguarding of judges independent and professional standards”.
I was taking the article seriously until I read the last paragraph. Who was surveyed – the Judges and barristers?
Is it me or is Susan deneham a doppelganger of Tony sopranos mother
Politically appointed judges hardly ever actually jailing criminals, what planet are these muppets on? Judges are a joke in Ireland and not trusted.
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