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
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 [...]
Irish Athletic Boxing Association Rebrands as Boxing Ireland
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) becomes Boxing Ireland, marking a transformational milestone for the sport and the beginning of a powerful new era of visibility, engagement and commercial growth for Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport. This rebrand represents far more than a new name or logo. It is about celebrating who they are, recognising [...]
IOC grants provisional recognition to World Boxing
The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally recognised World Boxing (WB) as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level, during a remote meeting held today. Following an assessment of the situation of World Boxing, it was noted that, among the criteria for recognition that [...]
Nominations For RTE Sportsperson of the Year
Next Sunday evening, December 15th at 9:30 pm, the RTÉ Sport Awards 2024 will air live on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player. Hosted by Joanne Cantwell, Darragh Maloney, and Jacqui Hurley from Studio 4 in RTÉ, the event will celebrate Irish sporting excellence in front of an audience filled with the nation’s top athletes. [...]
2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – DAY6 EVENING REPORT FROM TEAM IRELAND
Twenty-one-year-old Sallynoggin heavyweight (92kg) Jack Marley, who made such an impressive Olympic debut last Sunday was beaten tonight by Davlat Boltaev of Tajikistan in the 92kg quarter-finals; 4-1. Earlier talented Bray flyweight Daina Moorehouse was bitterly disappointed to be on the wrong side of a 4-1 decision in favour of hometown fighter Wassila Lkhadiri of [...]
2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – DAY 3 AFTERNOON REPORT FROM TEAM IRELAND
In Canoe Slalom double Olympian Liam Jegou put in an incredible run in the semi-final of the Men’s C1 to reach his first Olympic final an hour later where he placed an amazing seventh overall. Defending lightweight champion Kellie Harrington impressively defeated Italian Alessia Mesiano in the last 16 to advance to the quarter-finals on Wednesday evening (31st July). Her [...]