Katie Taylor won the gold medal in the women’s lightweight boxing event at the London 2012 Olympic Games, becoming the first ever Olympic women’s champion and Ireland’s first Olympic boxing gold medallist since Michael Carruth in 1992.

She was Ireland’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Taylor dominated the tournament, winning all four bouts, including a 10-8 victory over Russia’s Sofya Ochigava in the final.

At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games she was eliminated in the quarter-final by Finland’s Mira Potkonen on a controversial split decision – a bout later listed as “suspicious” in the McLaren report into corruption in amateur boxing.

Taylor grew up in Bray, Co. Wicklow and took up boxing at the age of 12 at Bray Boxing Club, taught by her father Pete, himself the 1986 Irish senior Light Heavyweight champion. As an amateur she won five consecutive World Championship titles and six European titles. She also represented the Republic of Ireland women’s international football team.

She turned professional after Rio 2016 and went on to become the undisputed world lightweight champion, holding all four major world title belts simultaneously. She attended St Kilian’s Community School in Bray.