Grainne delighted with elite title win

ST MARY’S boxer Grainne Walsh won the national elite title in the 65kg weight class June 5th with a split decision win over Kaci Rock of Holy Trinity in the final.

“I was delighted to get the win but to be honest I was more delighted to actually have a fight.

‘The last National Championships I had, I got a walk over, no one else entered in my weight category.

‘I do be almost fearful of that because you put in such an effort in a training camp and make the weight and there’s no pay off at the end of it.

‘I actually had a contest this time against a very credible opponent in Kaci Rock, also a good friend of mine.

‘Overall a great night, delighted to come away with victory again and sets me up nicely for the next couple of weeks and months.”

Grainne’s victory has put her in major contention for a place representing Ireland in the World Championships this September but is not getting ahead of herself.

“I have things that I am thinking about down the line but I’ve learned through my mistakes that you can’t really look too far ahead.

‘I have been thinking about the Worlds and that is obviously the bigger picture. I don’t think it’s certain that people who won the National Elites are picked but I’ve put myself in the best position I possibly can and I’m just going to keep training away and try to improve.”

Grainne would end up qualifying for the Olympics  through the final qualification tournament in Thailand.

With the next Olympics being all the way in 2028, she is taking it one step at a time.

“Obviously I’m thinking of LA down the line but I was thinking of the National Elites there last week, then it’s the Worlds.

‘I’m trying to take it competition by competition and not jump too far ahead and try live in the present as much as I can”

Grainne trains in St Marys in Tallaght and spoke about the move from her old gym in Offaly has transformed her career.

“It’s mad because I’m a country girl from Tullamore who moved up to Tallaght and St Marys.

‘The only reason I actually left Spartacus in Tullamore as because my life long club coach Dima got a job with the Indian national team and I felt I was so unlucky with him leaving, but I ended up looking further afield so I thought about different coaches I had worked with and Noel Burke was one of them.”

“I really respected Noel because he was brutally honest. I don’t want a coach to tell me I’m brilliant when I know I’m not.

‘I think that’s when you grow more. I can’t help thinking that Dima leaving was at the time the worst thing on planet earth that could have happened to me but it led me to Noel and it led me to St Mary’s and such a positive community there.

‘I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason and I do think that all of that was supposed to happen for me.”