Ireland claimed two gold medals at the prestigious Strandja tournament in Sofia as Kellie Harrington and Aoife O'Rourke both triumphed in their final bouts in Sofia today.
In the afternoon, Olympic champion Harrington added to her collection of gold medals with a unanimous victory over Serbian opponent Natalia Shadrina in the lightweight final.
Absolutely fantastic day for #TeamIreland at Strandja - 🥇 for Kellie Harrington and Aoife O'Rourke. The smiles say it all🥊
— IABA (@IABABOXING) February 26, 2022
More here:https://t.co/viFQp5FnTm pic.twitter.com/Y1K3PadXF6
Harrington had to withstand a spirited showing in the latter two rounds but eventually won out on all five judges scorecards, three of the adjudicators scoring the fight 29-28, while the remaining two assessed it as a 30-27 win for the Irishwoman.
It's another gold medal for Harrington, following her victory in Tokyo last year and the gold she earned at the World Championships in New Delhi in 2018.
🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇
— IABA (@IABABOXING) February 26, 2022
Tokyo Olympic lightweight champ, Kellie Harrington wins 🥇 at the 73rd Strandja International Tournament in a unanimous decision over Natalia Shadrina of 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/bxTbOsEZgw
This evening, Roscommon middleweight O'Rourke added to Irish glory in the Bulgarian capital, taking gold with another unanimous victory over Panama's Atheyna Bylon.
O'Rourke's win was even more comprehensive by the judges' lights, four of the scorers deeming it a 30-27 victory, with another judge scoring it 29-28 in favour of the Castlerea woman.
🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇
— IABA (@IABABOXING) February 26, 2022
Olympian Aoife O'Rourke is the middleweight champion of the 73rd Strandja International Tournament, following a unanimous decision win over Atheyna Bylon of 🇵🇦 pic.twitter.com/BO2NqvizvS
