Ireland at the World Amateur Boxing Championship

Ireland had a pretty poor record in the World Championships when compared to European Championships or even the Olympics (16 medals won).

Between 1974 (the first world championships) and 2008, Ireland had won only 5 medals. It’s all changed now.

John Joe Nevin won bronze in 2011, the first man to have two world medals

The full list of Irish medalists at the Men’s World Amateur Boxing Championship;

Year	Weight		Name	Medal
1982	Light Middle	71kg	Tom Corr	Bronze
1989	Light Welter	63.5kg	Michael Carruth	Bronze
1993	Fly	51kg	Damaen Kelly	Bronze
1995	Light Heavy	81kg	Stephen Kirk	Bronze
2001	Welter	67kg	James Moore	Bronze
2009	Bantam	54kg	John Joe Nevin	Bronze
2011	Bantam	54kg	John Joe Nevin	Bronze
2013	Middle	75kg	Jason Quigley	Silver
2013	Light heavy	81kg	Joe Ward	Bronze
2015	Light heavy	81kg	Joe Ward	Silver
2015	Bantam	56kg	Michael Conlan	GOLD
2015	Middle	75kg	Michael O’Reilly	Bronze
2017	Light heavy	81kg	Joe Ward	Silver

Joe Ward is the most decorated Irish man at this level with medals in all 3 Championships he’s fought at (2013, 2015, 2017) reaching the final in 2015 & 2017

Conlan joined Nevin (2012 silver) and Carruth (1992 gold) as the only Irish men to win medals in the World Championship and Olympic Games. At the 18th time of trying, Ireland had its first ever world champion in 2015.

Nevin and Conlan has also medalled in the European Championships. Fighting for NI, Conlan can add his 2014 Commonwealth gold to complete his set too.

Damaen Kelly, Jason Quigley and Joe Ward are the boxers to have won medals in European and World Championships, but not the Olympics.

Of course in women’s boxing Katie Taylor kicked off Ireland’s medal wins in 2006

Year	Weight		Name	Medal
2006	Light	60kg	Katie Taylor	GOLD
2008	Light	60kg	Katie Taylor	GOLD
2010	Light	60kg	Katie Taylor	GOLD
2012	Light	60kg	Katie Taylor	GOLD
2014	Light	60kg	Katie Taylor	GOLD
2016	Light	60kg	Katie Taylor	Bronze
2016	Light welter	64kg	Kellie Harrington	Silve
2018	Light	60kg	Kellie Harrington	GOLD

Irish women (ie Katie Taylor and Kellie Harrington) have now won 6 gold and 2 silver medals

(Updated December 2018)

Ireland at the World Athletics Championship

Rob Heffernan became only the 6th Irish athlete to medal in the World Athletics Championships with gold at the 2013 event. Remarkably 4 of those were all World Champions with Olive Loughnane upgraded a couple of years late when the winner was disqualified due to doping.

Eamon Coghlan won gold in the first World championships in Helsinki in 1983

Since then it’s been Sonia O’Sullivan and 2 female walkers; Gillian O’Sullivan and Olive Loughnan. Heffernan’s medal is the first medal won by a male in 30 years and the 3rd medal in a row for the walkers.

The 6 medals won by Ireland at the IAAF World Athletics Championship

1983	5,000m	Eamonn Coughlan	Gold
1995	5,000m	Sonia O’Sullivan	Gold
2003	1,500m	Sonia O’Sullivan	Silver
2003	20k Walk	Gillian O’Sullivan	Silver
2009	20k Walk	Olive Loughnane	Gold
2013	50k Walk	Robert Heffernan	Gold

 

Ireland at the European Amateur Boxing Championships

[Updated July 2019]

In 2019 Ireland added 3 medals to bring the total medals won in the Senior Men’s European Amateur Boxing Championships to 55. Here’s the full list of medals won;

 

YEAR	CATEGORY	WEIGHT	BOXER	MEDAL
1939	Fly	50.8kg	James Ingle	Gold
1939	Feather	57.1kg	Patrick Dowdall	Gold
1939	Welter	66.7kg	Charles Evenden	Bronze
1947	Heavy	81+kg	Gerry O’Colman	Gold
1947	Feather	57kg	Peter Maguire	Silver
1949	Light	61.2kg	Michael McCullagh	Gold
1949	Feather	57.1kg	David O’Connell	Bronze
1951	Bantam	54kg	William Kelly	Silver
1951	Light	60kg	David O’Connell	Bronze
1951	Light Welter	63.5kg	Terrence Milligan	Bronze
1953	Light Welter	63.5kg	Terrence Milligan	Silver
1953	Bantam	54kg	John McNally	Bronze
1957	Welter	67kg	Fred Tiedt	Bronze
1959	Fly	51kg	Adam McClean	Bronze
1959	Middle	75kg	Colm McCoy	Bronze
1959	Welter	67kg	Harry Perry	Bronze
1965	Light	60kg	Jim McCourt	Bronze
1969	Bantam	54kg	Mick Dowling	Bronze
1971	Feather	57kg	Brendan McCarthy	Bronze
1971	Bantam	54kg	Mick Dowling	Bronze
1971	Fly	51kg	Neil McLaughlin	Bronze
1977	Light Fly	48kg	Philip Sutcliffe	Bronze
1979	Bantam	54kg	Philip Sutcliffe	Bronze
1981	Light Fly	48kg	Gerard Hawkins	Bronze
1983	Welter	67kg	Kieran Joyce	Bronze
1985	Fly	51kg	Sean Casey	Bronze
1991	Feather	57kg	Paul Griffin	Gold
1993	Feather	57kg	Paul Griffin	Bronze
1996	Fly	51kg	Damaen Kelly	Bronze
1998	Middle	75kg	Brian Magee	Silver
2004	Middle	75kg	Andy Lee	Bronze
2006	Light Heavy	75kg	Ken Egan	Bronze
2008	Middle	75kg	Eamon O’Kane	Bronze
2008	Light Welter	64kg	John Joe Joyce	Bronze
2008	Light	60kg	Ross Hickey	Bronze
2010	Light Fly	48kg	Paddy Barnes	Gold
2010	Middle	75kg	Darren O’Neill	Silver
2010	Light	60kg	Eric Donovan	Bronze
2010	Light Heavy	81kg	Ken Egan	Bronze
2010	Feather	57kg	Tyrone McCullough	Bronze
2011	Light Heavy	81kg	Joe Ward	Gold
2011	Light Welter	64kg	Ray Moylette	Gold
2013	Light Fly	49kg	Paddy Barnes	Silver
2013	Bantam	56kg	John Joe Nevin	Gold
2013	Middle	75kg	Jason Quigley	Gold
2013	Fly	52kg	Michael Conlon	Silver
2015	Bantam	56kg	Michael Conlon	Gold
2015	Light Heavy	81kg	Joe Ward	Gold
2015	Light welter	64kg	Dean Walshe	Bronze
2017	Fly	52kg	Brendan Irvine	Bronze
2017	Bantam	56kg	Kurt Walker	Bronze
2017	Light heavy	81kg	Joe Ward	Gold
2019	Bantam	56kg	Kurt Walker	Gold
2019	Light fly	49kg	Regan Daly	Bronze
2019	Middle	75kg	Michael Nevin	Bronze

The 12 European champions so far;

YEAR	CATEGORY	WEIGHT	BOXER	MEDAL
1939	Fly	50.8kg	James Ingle	Gold
1939	Feather	57.1kg	Patrick Dowdall	Gold
1947	Heavy	81+kg	Gerry O’Colman	Gold
1949	Light	61.2kg	Michael McCullagh	Gold
1991	Feather	57kg	Paul Griffin	Gold
2010	Light Fly	48kg	Paddy Barnes	Gold
2011 and 2015 and 2017	Light Heavy	81kg	Joe Ward	Gold
2011	Light Welter	64kg	Ray Moylette	Gold
2013	Bantam	56kg	John Joe Nevin	Gold
2013	Middle	75kg	Jason Quigley	Gold
2015	Bantam	56kg	Michael Conlon	Gold
2019	Bantam	56kg	Kurt Walker	Gold

9 boxers have won 2 medals at the Europeans with Joe Ward being the only man to win 3 medals, and all three saw him win gold and become European champion.

• Joe Ward (2011/2015/2017 -all gold)
• David O’Connell (1949/1951 both bronze)
• Terence Milligan (1951 bronze, 1953 silver)
• Mick Dowling (1969/1971 both bronze)
• Phil Sutcliffe (1977/1979 both bronze)
• Paul Griffin (1991 gold, 1993 bronze)
• Ken Egan (2006/2010 both bronze)
• Paddy Barnes (2010 gold, 2013 silver)
• Michael Conlon (2013 silver, 2015 gold)
• Kurt Walker (2017 bronze, 2019 gold)

John Joe Nevin and Michael Conlan are the only male Irish boxers to win medals at European, World and Olympic levels.

The following have won European and Olympic medals;

• John McNally (1952 Olympic silver, 1953 European bronze)
• Fred Tiedt (1956 Olympic silver, 1957 European bronze)
• Jim McCourt (1964 Olympic bronze, 1965 European bronze)
• Ken Egan (2006 European bronze, 2008 Olympic silver, 2010 European bronze)
• Paddy Barnes (2008 Olympic bronze, 2010 European gold, 2012 Olympic bronze, 2013 European silver)
• Michael Conlon (2013 Olympic bronze, 2013 European silver, 2015 European gold)

Only 2 have won medals at European and world level but not in the Olympics

• Damean Kelly (1993 world bronze, 1996 European bronze)
• Joe Ward (2011 European gold, 2013 world bronze, 2015 European gold, 2017 European gold)

Michael Carruth is the only other boxer to win medals at World and Olympic levels (1989 World bronze, 1992 Olympic gold) but never won a medal at the Europeans.

The worst finish possible

(Updated 18 August 2016)

This year’s summer Olympics saw another Irish athlete finish 4th in their respective event and pretty much everyone agrees its completely heartbreaking to be so close to a medal and miss out. This heartbreak has happened 17 times to Ireland in the summer games, and once in the Winter Olympics.

1924 – Paddy Dwyer – Boxing, welterweight
1928 – Frank Traynor – Boxing, bantamweight
1932 – Jim Murphy – Boxing, light heavyweight
1932 – Eamon Fitzgerald – Athletics, triple jump
1948 – Mick McKeon – Boxing, middleweight
1956 – Gerry Martina – Wrestling, freestyle, light heavy
1960 – John Lawler – Athletics, hammer throw
1964 – A Cameron/T Brennan/J Harty – Equestrian, Team Eventing
1976 – Sean Drea – Rowing, single sculls
1976 – Eamonn Coghlan – Athletics, 1,500m
1980 – Eamonn Coghlan – Athletics, 5,000m
1992 – Sonia O’Sullivan – Athletics, 3,000m
1996 – S Lynch, N Maxwell, D Holland, T O’Connor – Rowing, Lightweight Coxless Fours
2002 – Clifton Wrottersley – Skeleton, Men’s
2004 – Kevin Babington – Equestian, Individual Show Jumping (tied with 5 others)
2008 – Eoin Rheinisch – Canoeing, slalom, K1
2012 – Annalise Murphy – Sailing, laser radial
2016 – Tom Barr – Athletics, 400m hurdles

Some good news…
2012 – Rob Heffernan – Athletics, 50km walk
Heffernan finised fourth on the day but was upgraded to bronze in 2016.

You might note that 4 boxers appear on the list. Until 1948 there was a ‘box off’ for the bronze medal between losing semi-finalists. Babington was originally tied for 5th place but moved up as a result of Cian O’Connor’s expulsion.

Other Irish athletes have come close to medalling (eg boxers losing in the quarter finals since 1952) but these are the 18 times Ireland has finished 4th. In 2016, Annalise Murphy followed Sonia O’Sullivan in coming back from the heart break to win a medal.