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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Michael Scully

Aidan Walsh wins Ireland's third medal of the Tokyo Games and first in the ring since London 2012

After the medal rush by the Irish rowers, Aidan Walsh has won a third medal for Ireland in the Tokyo Olympics.

Walsh, a 24-year-old from Belfast, secured at least bronze - the first medal for the Irish boxers since 2012, when four medals were claimed in the ring - by beating Merven Clair of Mauritius in the welterweight quarter-finals at the Kokugikan Arena.

The Belfast welterweight will now box GB's Pat McCormack in the semi-final on Sunday, when Kurt Walker also has a medal fight.

McCormack looked impressive in beating his Uzbek opponent in his quarter-final, but left the ring with a deep cut above the eye.

McCormack, who hails from Sunderland, beat Walsh in the Commonwealth Games semi-finals, so Walsh will be eyeing revenge on the biggest stage of all against the 26-year-old.

Walsh won this morning on a split decision.

He was deservedly ahead with all the judges after the first round as both boxers tried to pick off punches from distance.

But the second was closer as Clair had to come forward with some success, although Walsh still took it 3-2 on the judges' cards.

Predictably, the third round was a case of Walsh staying out of trouble as Clair went for broke and he managed to do so.

Walsh blessed himself continuously as the pair awaited the result and then leapt high in the air as he was awarded a 4-1 victory.

It proved a great session for the boxers, with top lightweight seed Kellie Harrington winning her first bout and advancing to the quarter-finals - and a chance of securing a medal - on Tuesday.

Yesterday, Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy secured only Ireland's 10th ever gold medal in the Games with victory in the men's lightweight double sculls.

The followed the Women's fours winning Ireland's first medal in Tokyo, when they claimed bronze on Wednesday.

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