Commonwealth Games: Northern Ireland claim gold and two silvers in the ring
Northern Ireland added three medals to their Commonwealth Games haul after a busy Saturday afternoon in the boxing.
First up was Michaela Walsh who competed in the 57kg women’s final against Jaismine Lamboria.
The 33-year-old won gold in the featherweight final in 2022, but she would have to settle for silver this time around against her opponent from India.
All five judges award world number one Lamboria the victory, however, it’s the first time a team Northern Ireland boxer has won four medals at the Games.
Responding to Walsh’ silver medal, Richard Archibald, Interim CEO, Sport NI said: “Huge congratulations to Michaela on her Commonwealth Silver medal!
“To win four medals at four Commonwealth Games is an incredible achievement and testament to her hard work and determination. We work closely with Michaela at the Sport NI Sports Institute and know how much this medal will mean to her.
“Michaela is a true ambassador for the sport and I’m sure her performance will inspire the next generation of female boxers across Northern Ireland.”
Next up for Team Northern Ireland was Kaci Rock in the women’s 65kg final against English boxer Sacha Hickey.
However, there would be no gold medal joy for Rock as the scorecards were all in Hickey’s favour.
Mr Archibald from Sport NI added: “Congratulations from everyone at Sport NI to Kaci on her Commonwealth silver medal.
“To win a silver medal at your first Commonwealth Games is an outstanding achievement. We are proud to support Kaci through our National Lottery funded Athlete Award and our Sports Institute and know she has a bright future ahead.”
The final Northern Ireland boxer in action was Jon McConnell in the men’s 70kg final.
He came up against Welsh fighter Orlando Holley-Sotomi, which was already billed as being a closely-fought encounter.
It would prove to be that way as both men pitted their wits against each other but McConnell did enough to win gold via a 4-1 succss on the judges' decision.
“What a performance! Huge congratulations to Jon on his Commonwealth Gold medal, the sixth boxing medal for Team NI in Glasgow,” said Mr Archibald of Sport NI.
“To become Commonwealth Champion at your debut Games is an incredible achievement. We are proud to have supported Jon in his preparations for the games through our National Lottery funded Athlete Award and our Sports Institute.”
“Northern Ireland has a long history of boxing success at the Commonwealth Games and the team in Glasgow has continued this legacy with distinction. We are proud to support Boxing in Northern Ireland with National Lottery funding to support the clubs, coaches and programmes that give young athletes like Jon the chance to progress.”
The results mean Team NI end with a gold, two silvers and three bronze in the boxing in Glasgow.