PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins has hailed Aidan Walsh’s “remarkable” Olympic journey as the Belfast boxer returns home with a bronze medal.
Walsh had been due to take on Great Britain’s Pat McCormack today for a place in the final of the welterweight competition at the Tokyo Games but was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.
The 24-year-old apparently sustained the injury in his quarter-final win over Mervin Clair of Mauritius on Friday morning in which he secured his bronze medal.
Team Ireland said Walsh had initially hoped to compete but subsequent scans and medical reviews ruled out the possibility.
Paying tribute this morning, President Higgins said Walsh deserved great respect for his Olympic journey.
“Although he will be disappointed that his ankle injury ended his remarkable Olympic journey at Tokyo2020, Aidan Walsh deserves great respect for his achievements at these Games, winning a bronze medal and becoming the 16th Irish boxer to bring home a medal from the Olympics,” Higgins tweeted.
Team Ireland team leader for boxing, Bernard Dunne, said what Walsh did this week was an incredible achievement, while his performance throughout the tournament has been “outstanding”.
”And it is great to see him write his name in the annals of Irish sport,” said Dunne.
Just over two years ago we selected Aidan for his first major championship, and over the past few months that potential that we had identified has grown and developed into a world class performance, that reflects greatly on the level of preparation he has put in ahead of these Games.
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