Jennifer Lehane
Boxing
BIOGRAPHY
Jennifer Lehane represented Ireland in the women’s 54kg bantamweight boxing event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming the first Irish female bantamweight to compete at the Olympics.
Given a bye into the round of 16, she lost by unanimous decision to China’s Chang Yuan, who went on to win gold. Lehane grew up in Ashbourne, Co. Meath and was a highly successful taekwondo competitor from the age of 15, becoming European taekwondo champion in both 2018 and 2019. She took up boxing aged around 20 while studying primary school teaching at Dublin City University – initially as a means of keeping fit – and represented DCU Athletic Boxing Club.
She won the Irish National Elite Championships in 2021, just a year after beginning the sport, and was subsequently invited to join the IABA High Performance Unit. She qualified as a primary school teacher and worked in a school for a year before putting teaching on hold to pursue boxing full-time. Qualification for Paris proved a lengthy process – she narrowly missed at the European Games and lost a split decision at the first qualifier in March 2024 – before winning three bouts at the final qualifier in Bangkok in June 2024 to secure her place.
OTHER BOXING ATHLETES
BOXING NEWS
OFI Updates – June 2026
BADMINTON IRELAND SETS OUT PATHWAYS FOR DAKAR 2026, EUROPEAN GAMES 2027 & LA28 OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION To support athletes and coaches in planning for this cycle, Badminton Ireland, in partnership with the Olympic Federation of Ireland, has published its nomination policies for Dakar 2026, the European Games 2027, and LA28. Publishing these policies early provides clarity [...]
Events Coming up in June 2026
Hockey IRL Men - FIH Hockey Nations Cup - South Africa - June 11 to 20 IRL Women - FIH Hockey Pro League Netherlands Stage - Rotterdam - June 13 to 18 IRL Women - FIH Hockey Pro League Germany Stage - Berlin - June 23 to 27 Swimming Sette Colli International, Rome, Italy, 26-28 [...]
PERFORMANCE ROUND UP – May 2026
A Month of Milestones, Momentum and Major Performances Team Ireland athletes delivered a powerful run of results across May and early June, producing historic wins, breakthrough performances and consistent podium finishes on the world stage. From Diamond League history in Shanghai to Nations Cup victory in Italy, and from European medals on the water to [...]
Team Ireland Set for Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026
Team Ireland is preparing for an exciting milestone on the Olympic pathway as we look ahead to the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. This is the first Olympic event ever to be hosted on the African continent. The Games take place from 31 October to 13 November 2026, bringing together the world’s best young athletes [...]
Events coming up in May 2026
Athletics 2-3 May: World Athletics Relays, Gaborone, Botswana Boxing 3-10 May: Feliks Stamm Tournament, Warsaw, Poland Canoeing 29-31 May: Canoe Slalom World Cup 1, Ljubljana, Slovenia Cycling 1-3 May: Downhill & Cross-country Olympic World Series round 1, South Korea 22-24 May: Rás Tailteann, Ireland 22-24 May: Cross Country World Series, Czech Republic [...]
Istanbul 2027 European Games
A Key Step on the Road to LA28 The 4th European Games will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from 16 to 27 June 2027, one year out from the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. For Team Ireland, Istanbul represents a significant moment in the LA28 cycle: a major competitive platform, a qualification opportunity across multiple [...]