June Sports Star of the Month – Winnie McDonagh
NEILSTOWN Boxing Club’s Winnie Christina McDonagh is back in the line-up of contenders for The Echo Amateur Sports Star of the Year title after she secured a brilliant silver medal at the European Junior Championships in Romania.
A gold medal winner in last year’s European Schoolgirl Championships, the Clondalkin competitor was looking to make the podium at Junior degree.
Neilstown Boxing Club’s European Junior silver medallist, Winnie Christina McDonagh receives The Echo ‘Sports Star of the Month’ Award for June from Thos McDermott, Co-ordinator, South Dublin County Sports Partnership. Also pictured are Stephen Leonard, Sports Editor, The Echo, and Bernard McCann, Guest Relations Manager, Green Isle Hotel.
And she certainly managed that, winning three fights en route to the Women’s 63kg Final where she was narrowly edged out by Italy’s Viola Piras on a 3-2 split decision.
McDonagh made a very convincing start to her European Junior campaign by beating Turkey’s Ceren Tuncer 5-0 in the Last 16.
That was followed up with another unanimous decision against Lia Pukkila of Finland before she secured further passage to the decider with yet another 5-0 victory, this time against Germany’s Ani Manukyan.
Up against the taller and more rangy Italian counter puncher, Piras in the final, McDonagh gave it her all in attempting to serve up heavy punches on the inside, but she ultimately fell just short of another continental gold.
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“I’ve learnt loads and the experience I got from the tournament was great” said McDonagh. “All those boxers are nearly 16 and I’m 14 so I’m eligible to compete again” she pointed out.
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