Daina Moorhouse, Aoife O'Rourke and Michaela Walsh are all one win away from a medal and closing in on places at the Paris 2024 Olympics after another highly successful day for Ireland's boxers at the European Games.
Featherweight Walsh was a unanimous decision winner (5-0) over Aysen Taskin of Turkey and will become a double Olympian if she reaches the semi-finals.
Flyweight Moorhouse won a 3-2 split decision against two-time European champion Tetiana Kob of the Ukraine and is also one win away from Paris.
Two-time European champion O'Rourke was also a split-decision winner (3-2) against Cindy Winner Djankeu Ngamba (EOC refugee team) but must reach the final to secure her Olympic place, with only two spots on offer at 75kg.
Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington, world champion Amy Broadhurst, Jennifer Lehane, Kelyn Cassidy and Jack Marley all reached the last eight on Sunday while Dean Clancy did the same on Saturday.
All nine are back in the ring tomorrow in the quarter-finals, from 12pm Irish time.
Every Irish badminton player took to the court in their second group games at the Jaskolka Arena in Poland today, with wins in three of the five matches. The top two in each group of four advance to the knockout stages.
Mixed doubles pairing Joshua Magee and Moya Ryan had another win, defeating their Slovakian opponents Milan Dratva and Katarina Vargova 21-5, 21-15.
The duo face a tough task in their final group game on Thursday when they will play the tournament's number one-ranked seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France.
Donegal's Rachael Darragh came from behind to beat Serbia's Marija Sudimac 13-21, 21-19, 23-21.
The 25-year-old remains in contention to advance to the last 16 despite losing her opening game and faces French seed Xuefei Qi tomorrow.
Joshua Magee was out again in the Men's Doubles with partner Paul Reynolds, but they lost out 2-0 to Great Britain.
Moya Ryan also had a second game with partner Kate Frost in the Women’s Doubles but lost out 2-0 to Sweden.
Last on court for the Irish was Toyko Olympian Nhat Nguyen, who beat Great Britain’s Johnnie Torjussen 2-0 (21-8, 21-16) to secure a quarter-final spot before he even plays his last group game on Thursday.
Modern pentathlete Sive Brassil came up just short in her quest to make the final, finishing her semi-final in 16th place.
Brassil started the concluding laser run in 14th position and managed to get up to 12th but some shooting misses kept her out of the nine athletes who advanced to the final.
Derry triathlete Erin McConnell put in a strong performance to place 27th in the women's individual triathlon this morning in very challenging conditions.
McConnell, who is known for her strong swimming background, emerged from the lake in seventh position but slipped back after a 40km cycle in a thunderstorm.
In fencing, Giacomo Patrick Pietrobelli, exited the men's épeé competition by the narrowest of margins in the last 64, losing 15-14 to Jonathan Svensson of Sweden.
Pietrobelli, who was born in Italy of Italian-Irish parents, had won two of his five bouts in the pool stages to reach the direct elimination stages.
In archery, Emma Davis lost 6-0 to Austrian Elisabeth Straka, one of the competition favourites, in the women’s individual recurve.
As well as the nine boxing quarter-finals, the final group matches in the badminton men's and women’s Singles, and also the men’s and women’s Doubles are on the schedule tomorrow.
In triathlon, it’s the turn of James Edgar in the Elite Men’s race in the morning.
In fencing, Ireland’s men’s sabre team of Jadryn Dick, Michael Jacob, and Michalis Kirimlidis take on Spain in the Table of 16 encounter.
Finally, diver Clare Cryan goes in the 1M Springboard qualifying round in the morning, hopeful of making the evening final.
