Double Gold in Sofia Caps a Week of Irish Podiums: In The News

O’Rourke Sisters Lead Irish Success in Sofia 

Ireland finished the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia with an outstanding four-medal haul, led by gold medals for sisters Aoife O’Rourke and Lisa O’Rourke. 

Lisa O’Rourke claimed the women’s 80kg European title following a 4-1 split-decision victory over Russia’s Anastasiia Demurchian. Competing at a new weight category and returning from injury, O’Rourke produced an impressive run to gold, defeating Greece’s Vasiliki Stavridou, England’s Emily Asquith and Ukraine’s Iryna Lutsak before standing on top of the podium.

Twenty-four hours later, older sister and Olympian Aoife O’Rourke successfully defended her European crown, defeating Turkey’s Busra Isildar to secure her fourth European title. The Roscommon boxer adds another major honour to a career that already includes World Championship and European Games success. 

Ireland also collected two bronze medals. Jon McConnell secured a podium finish after reaching the semi-finals of the men’s 70kg competition, while double Olympian Michaela Walsh continued her strong 2026 season with bronze in the women’s 57kg division. 

Reflecting on her title-winning performance, Lisa O’Rourke said: “I’m delighted. To get four wins from four in my first tournament back and at a new weight class, and to finish standing on top of the podium, I’m delighted.” 

Team Ireland Medal Winners 

• Gold: Aoife O’Rourke, Women’s 75kg. – image  

• Gold: Lisa O’Rourke, Women’s 80kg 

• Bronze: Jon McConnell, Men’s 70kg 

• Bronze: Michaela Walsh, Women’s 57kg

Healy Produces Top-10 Finish at Road World Championships 

Ben Healy delivered another impressive performance on the world stage, finishing 10th in the elite men’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal. The race was won by American rider Brandon McNulty, with Australia’s Michael Matthews taking silver and the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel claiming bronze. 

In a race featuring repeated attacks and aggressive racing throughout, Healy was among the protagonists in the decisive moves. The Irish rider bridged across to several leading groups during the final 90 kilometres and remained in contention for a medal deep into the final lap before ultimately crossing the line in 10th place, just 14 seconds behind the winner. 

Ireland raced aggressively throughout the day. Jamie Meehan featured in an early breakaway which built an advantage of more than eight minutes, while Ryan Mullen and Darren Rafferty worked hard in support of Healy before both later abandoned. 

The result marks a second consecutive top-10 finish at the World Championships for Healy, following his bronze medal performance in Rwanda last year. 

Reflecting on his ride, Healy said: “I just gave it everything today. I really wanted to anticipate and try to get ahead, and I think I had better legs than I even thought I had today. Maybe I should have waited, but I left it all out on the road and I’m still pretty proud of the race I did today.” 

He added: “The lads were great for me out there today and left it all out on the road, something we can really be proud of.” 

Final Result 

• 10th: Ben Healy, Ireland

Three-Medal Haul for Ireland at Shanghai Sprints:  

Ireland’s rowers concluded the inaugural World Rowing Shanghai Sprints with an impressive three-medal haul following two days of racing on Shanghai’s Huangpu River. 

The standout result came in the women’s double sculls, where world champions Mags Cremen and Zoe Hyde claimed gold for Ireland. Ireland also secured bronze in the men’s single sculls through Konan Pazzaia. 

On the final day, Konan Pazzaia and Mags Cremen advanced to the semi-finals of the mixed double sculls before narrowly missing out on a place in the final. 

Ireland also fielded a mixed eight featuring Jack Dorney, Zoe Hyde, Nathan Timoney, Alison Bergin, Adam Murphy, Natalie Long, Andrew Sheehan, Imogen Magner and Eoin Finnegan. The crew exited in the quarter-finals against Romania. 

Mags Cremen said: “I think racing 500 metres is so unpredictable, so you just have to go, go, go, but I really enjoyed it, it’s so much fun.” 

Jack Dorney added: “It’s such an honour and a privilege to represent Ireland at this event where we get to race the best in the world.” 

The Shanghai Sprints brought the curtain down on the 2026 international season, with Rowing Ireland athletes returning home with three medals and valuable experience from a new, high-intensity format that could become an increasingly important part of the sport’s future.

European Final Caps Strong Season for Liam Jegou

Liam Jegou closed out his 2026 season with an eighth-place finish in the men’s C1 final at the European Championships in Ivrea. 

Competing in a highly competitive and challenging final, Jegou produced another strong performance to secure a place among Europe’s top paddlers. The result follows another finals appearance at the final World Cup event of the season just two weeks earlier, underlining the consistency he has shown throughout the year. 

Ireland was well represented across the championship disciplines. Jake Cochrane finished 26th in the men’s C1 semi-final, narrowly missing out on one of the 12 places available in the final. 

In the men’s K1 competition, Noel Hendrick also placed 26th in the semi-final. Hendrick incurred just a single gate touch on gate 21 during his run but was unable to progress to the final. 

In the women’s C1 competition, Michaela Corcoran finished 23rd in the semi-final, gaining valuable championship experience against a strong European field.