Sport

Taylor faces Finn in semi-final as she leads Irish force in Keszthely

Four of Ireland’s young fighters progress to finals

Katie Taylor fights Finnish lightweight Mira Potkonen in the 60kg semi-finals at the EU Women’s Championships in Keszthely, Hungary. Photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times
Katie Taylor fights Finnish lightweight Mira Potkonen in the 60kg semi-finals at the EU Women’s Championships in Keszthely, Hungary. Photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times
Fri Jul 05 2013 - 01:00

Olympic and World champion Katie Taylor will lead the Irish women's team back into battle at the EU Women's Senior, Youth and Junior Championships at a sweltering Helikon Hotel in Keszthely, Hungary, today, with temperatures topping the 35 degree mark all week.

Taylor meets Finnish lightweight Mira Potkonen in the 60kg semi-final, and is two wins away from winning her fifth successive EU title.

The Bray woman TKO’d Hungary’s Benke Sara in the fourth round of Wednesday’s quarter-final .

“I enjoyed my first fight here. It’s always nice to get another win under my belt and to get back into the routine of a tournament, although it is very warm in the competition venue,” said Taylor.

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Claire Grace guaranteed herself at least bronze with a unanimous decision over Croatia's Jovana Vucic in the senior 69kg quarter-final.

But Kelly Harrington and Sinead Kavanagh exited at the last-eight stage.

In the junior bouts, four Irish boxers upgraded from bronze to at least silver yesterday. European junior champion Amy Broadhurst, Gráinne Gavin, Jacqui Lynch and Ciara Sheedy progressed to tomorrow’s junior finals following last-four wins.