Oakleaf's Carleigh Irving hailed after silver medal success in Sofia

Carleigh Irving received a hero’s welcome when she returned home from the European U23 Championships in Bulgaria after an amazing silver medal success.

In a year in which she already created history by winning the National U22 48kg title in Dublin, following on from her National U18 title and her Ulster Elite title, Carleigh achieved this latest milestone in a tournament which required competitors to perform without headguards.

This stipulation, announced just before the team left Dublin, added an unexpected twist to the competition, but was nothing more than an extra roadblock for the talented Oakleaf ABC boxer to burst through.

“She's actually the first girl in Europe to box without a head guard,” Oakleaf coach Eugene O’Kane explained. “They got word just before they left from Dublin to go to Sofia, that they wouldn't be wearing a head guard. So, obviously, she was the first girl in the ring, and she's the first Irish girl they boxed without a head guard. It was a wee bit sort of strange for her, and a lot of the girls out there got cuts. More girls get cuts than fellas because, obviously, they weren't used to the head butts and different things.

Irving, just 18, faced off against experienced opponents, demonstrating her exceptional skill and determination. She navigated through the competition with notable victories, including dominant performances against boxers from Azerbaijan and Hungary. In the final, she faced a rugged and tactical opponent from Turkey and despite suffering a cut in the first round, she showed remarkable

"We don't have many senior medallists in boxing at European level and world level. This is a next step up to the Elites; she actually has won the Elites. I'm so proud of her, for that performance. She’s definitely one for the future. It was a brilliant performance."

Irving's dedication and hard work have been evident, with months of intensive training at the High-Performance centre at Abbotstown in Belfast. As she contemplates her next steps, including the upcoming Irish and Ulster Elites, it's clear that her journey is far from over.

“It's a great thing,” O’Kane continued. “She won the under-18s and then she went on and won the under-22s, won the Ulster elites, along with Jack Harkin, and then she's won a marvellous silver medal against a very, very good girl from Turkey, who was beaten last year in the final.

“She was a very experienced opponent. She's 22 and Carleigh's only 18. She had two good wins. She had a great one against a wee girl from Azerbaijan, which is a great boxing nation. Then she beat a girl from Hungary, 3-0 as well, and was absolutely dominant. She stayed in the centre of the ring and never put a foot wrong. Then she came up against this wee one from Turkey in the final, very rugged, and using all her tactics. Carleigh got cut in the first round and that's what affected the fight.