Heartbreak for Gráinne Walsh as she loses Olympic qualifier on split decision

Offaly boxer Gráinne Walsh's Olympic qualification bout ended in heartbreaking fashion this afternoon as she lost a controversial 3-2 split decision to Poland's Aneta Rygielska in Italy.

The Tullamore woman was adjudged to have lost by the narrowest of margins, despite Rygielska being deducted a point by a referee in the second round and also being given a standing count in the same round after Walsh landed some heavy punches.

The verdict was difficult to take, after a close fight in which Walsh appeared to land the greater volume of punches.

Rygielska shaded the opening round, but the momentum seemed to have swung firmly in Walsh's favour in the second, when she landed some quality shots, forcing a standing count, and saw her opponent having been deducted a point for spoiling.

Walsh remained on the front foot in the last round, giving it everything she had.

The decision in Rygielska's favour was criticised by sports journalist Sean McGoldrick, who described it as "shocking".

There is one more Olympic qualification tournament in boxing, which will take place in Thailand in May, but it remains to be seen who will be representing Ireland in Walsh's 66kg division at that event.