Broadhurst to replace injured Harrington for Worlds bid

Broadhurst replaced Harrington for the European Elites and last week took home bronze from Madrid where Aoife O'Rourke won middleweight gold (stock photo)

Bernard O'Neill

September 05 2019 02:30 AM

There will be a new name on the World Women's Lightweight Elite title in Ulan-Ude, Siberia, next month - and it could be Irish.

Bernard Dunne, high-performance director with the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, has confirmed world lightweight champion Kellie Harrington will miss the 2019 World Championships.

The Dubliner, who is nursing a hand injury sustained at the European Games earlier this summer, will be replaced by Dundalk southpaw Amy Broadhurst on the Irish squad.

Broadhurst replaced Harrington for the European Elites and last week took home bronze from Madrid where Aoife O'Rourke won middleweight gold.

Ireland will name a five-strong squad for the 11th edition of the Worlds and Dunne will confirm the other four boxers in four of the five Olympic weights for women this weekend.

Building

Lightweight is the other Olympic limit for women with Irish boxing building toward the European qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 at the Copper Box in London next March.

Seventy-seven places - 50 for men and 27 for women - will be up for grabs in the English capital.

"It's a great opportunity for Amy at the World Championships," said Dunne. "Everything we do right now, Worlds, Europeans, training camps, are about prepping our teams for the qualifiers in London."

Meanwhile, Dunne and Irish head coach Zaur Antia flew out to Ekaterinburg last night.

The 87-nation World Men's Elite Championships begins in the Russian city next Monday. European champion Kurt Walker is included on a seven-strong Irish panel for the tournament.