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
Performance Round Up – June 2026
Athletics Mark English finished second in a high-quality men’s 800m field at the Rome Diamond League. The Donegal athlete clocked a season’s best time of 1:43.80, his second fastest ever over the distance, as he closed strongly in the final metres to challenge for victory. Sarah Healy delivered a personal best time of 14:48.88 in [...]
SCHOOL’S OUT – DARE TO BELIEVE WRAPS A STANDOUT YEAR
The Olympic Federation of Ireland is celebrating a standout year for its Dare to Believe schools programme, proudly sponsored by Allianz and supported by Olympic Solidarity, which once again brought the Olympic Movement to the classroom, with values and learnings that cover resilience, respect and courage. As schools break for the summer, the programme is [...]
In The News – 22nd June 2026
Ireland Hockey, Athletics, Basketball and Boxing Update: Positive Progress Across the Board Hockey Ireland Women Secure Crucial Pro League Win The Ireland Women’s Hockey Team produced an impressive display to defeat Spain with a 3-1 win and strengthen their position in the FIH Hockey Pro League, building on their 1-1 draw against the same opposition [...]
In The News – June 15 2026
Boxing Two-time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington secured her first international gold medal since her Paris 2024 success, leading a strong Team Ireland performance at the opening phase of the Four Nations tournament in Glasgow. Harrington delivered an assured performance in the women’s 60kg elite final, defeating England’s Ella Lonsdale, as Ireland amassed an impressive 33 [...]
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 [...]