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