St Mary’s pair set to contest 2020 Strandja Multi-Nations
By Hayden Moore
ST MARY’S Boxing Club competitors Kellie Harrington and George Bates are gearing up to compete in next week’s Strandja Multi-Nations in Bulgaria.
The two were selected as part of a 20-strong team that will travel out for the 71st edition of the tournament which is a precursor to the European qualifiers for the 2020 Olympic Games in London in March.
St Mary’s Boxing Club pair George Bates and Kellie Harrington are set to compete in the Strandja Multi Nations in Bulgaria
With boxing scheduled to begin on January 21, former World Elite lightweight champion, Harrington is returning to the ring for her first competitive outing since sustaining a thumb injury last year.
She boxed her way to the 60kg semi-final of the European Games in June where she injured her hand against Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson and had to forego the opportunity to fight Mira Potkonen in the decider in Belarus.
Having previously captured the 60kg National Elite title, George Bates moved up to the Olympic weight of 63kg with the hopes of securing a spot in the qualifiers for the 2020 Summer Games.
And the 26-year-old Tallaght boxer secured the National Elite Championship title at that heavier weight back in November, surmounting the challenge of Portlaoise man Wayne Kelly 4-1.
Since December, Bates has been training out of the High Performance Unit in Abbotstown where he is undergoing a selection process ahead of the European qualifiers on March 13-23.
In Sofia, boxers will work their way through preliminary rounds of the tournament before hope-fully contesting the finals on Saturday, January 25.
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