Gráinne Walsh now one win away from Olympics after latest victory
Gráinne Walsh will box this Sunday for a place at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The 28-year-old Tullamore woman today won her third bout at the Olympic qualification tournament in Thailand, defeating Sedia Sanogo of the Ivory Coast on a unanimous decision.
The win follows on from her previous points victories against Vietnamese and North Korean opponents, and it means Gráinne is through to the decisive quarter final stage of the tournament on Sunday morning (Irish time).
She will face a tough test in the form of Armenia's Ani Hovsepyan, who had a knockout victory over New Zealander Cara Wharerau in order to advance to the quarter final stage.
The winner of the Walsh-Hovsepyan bout will secure one of the four remaining places in the 66kg weight division at the Paris Games.
Today, the Offaly woman delivered a classy performance to win each of the three rounds on all five of the judges' scorecards. She landed some heavy punches in the second round, which resulted in her opponent receiving a standing count.
Earlier today, Gráinne Walsh's former rival Amy Broadhurst, from Dundalk, was defeated in her contest in Thailand.
The result ended Broadhurst's hopes of qualifying for Paris, in the 60kg category after she recently switched her allegiance to Team GB.