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Gavin Quinn & Alex Dunne

Kellie Harrington leads Irish squad for Olympic boxing qualifiers in London next month

The IABA have announced a thirteen-strong team for next month's European Olympic qualifiers for Tokyo 2020.

Ireland will bring eight male and five female boxers to the Copperbox Arena in London, which kicks off on March 13.

In the squad is former world lightweight champion Kellie Harrington as well as current European feather and middleweight champions Kurt Walker and Aoife O’Rourke.

Rio 2016 star Brendan Irvine will compete at flyweight, and Antrim brother and sister Aidan and Michaela Walsh will also be in action.

Harrington is one of four Dublin boxers heading to the tournament, with Kiril Afanasev, George Bates, and Emmett Brennan all also representing the capital.

Team Ireland leave for a training camp in Italy on Monday and return home at the end of the month before heading to London, where 77 Olympic places – 50 for men and 27 for women – will be up for grabs.

There will be one last chance at booking a ticket to Tokyo in May when World qualifiers take place in Paris.

Irish squad

Male

52kg – Flyweight – Brendan Irvine (St Paul's, Antrim)

57kg – Featherweight – Kurt Walker (Canal, Antrim)

63kg – Light-welterweight – George Bates (St Mary’s, Dublin)

69kg – Welterweight – Aidan Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim)

75kg – Middleweight – Michael Nevin (Portlaoise, Laois)

81kg – Light-heavyweight – Emmett Brennan (Dublin Docklands)

91kg – Heavyweight – Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield, Dublin)

91+kg – Super-heavyweight – Dean Gardiner (Clonmel, Tipperary)

Female

51kg – Flyweight- Ceire Smith (Cavan)

57kg – Featherweight – Michaela Walsh (Monkstown, Antrim)

60kg – Lightweight – Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s, Dublin)

69kg – Welterweight – Christina Desmond (Fr Horgan’s, Cork)

75kg – Middleweight – Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea, Roscommon)

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