'I'm going to the Olympics full of confidence' says Gráinne Walsh

Gráinne Walsh said her recent qualification for the Olympics means she'll be going to Paris full of confidence and with no concerns about whom she might draw among her 66kg rivals.

The Tullamore boxer appeared with fellow Paris Olympian Daina Moorehouse on the latest episode of the boxing podcast The Rocky Road, hosted by journalist Kevin Byrne.

The host noted that Gráinne's pathway to Paris had been the very definition of a 'rocky road' but, now that she's qualified, the local 28-year-old said she's looking forward to what the Games might bring.

"I probably would have said, in the past, going to tournaments, there's no-one I'm afraid of drawing, but in the back of my head I'd be going, 'I don't want to draw her' or 'I don't want to draw her'," admitted Gráinne.

"I genuinely do not care who I draw at the Olympics.

"I feel like, on my day, with the right tactics and the confidence I'm getting from my training in the gym, and the confidence that the coaches are instilling in me, I think, with the right tactics, no-one beats me.

"The same goes for Daina, and the same goes for all of us. We have to be confident in our own ability and not be wondering about what's coming back on the other side."

When asked about the reaction to her qualification, Gráinne spoke about her visit earlier this month to St Philomena's NS in Tullamore, where her sister, Mairead, is a teacher.

"My sister is a primary teacher, and I went into her school last week to see the kids. They had been watching all the fights and cheering me on.

"I got a lovely reception there, and some of the kids gave me cards and stuff. One of them really stuck out to me. It said: 'It was great to see you achieve your dream, thank you for showing us that it's not just a dream.'

"I swear, that actually hits me deep."

During the episode, Gráinne reflected on some of the injury setbacks which nearly ended her career and included a need to have surgery four times on the same thumb.

She concluded the episode by saying, "It's a great time to be from Offaly," noting that she'll be joined at the Olympics by three others from the county, in Shane Lowry and Tullamore duo Megan Burns and Jordan Conroy of the Irish Rugby Sevens teams.

* The current episode of The Rocky Road, featuring Gráinne Walsh and Daina Moorehouse, is available now on all podcast platforms.