Roisin Hegarty 'buzzing' ahead of European Championship chance
The 12-year-old Letterkenny native, who boxes out of the Illies Golden Gloves, is a three-time Irish champion and is Ireland's 60kgs representative in Banya Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina for the European Schoolgirl Championships
Roisin Hegarty is gunning for a medal at the European Schoolgirls Championships.
The Letterkenny native, who boxes out of the Illies Golden Gloves, is a three-time Irish champion and is Ireland's 60kgs representative in Banya Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The 12-year-old, who has completed her time at Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál and will enter Loreto Secondary School at the end of the month, flies out on Thursday as part of a 29-strong Irish team.
“I'm delighted to be going,” Hegarty told Donegal Live. “I can't wait to get started at the Championships now. I had to wait to be selected after winning the Irish final. It's very good to get going to this.”
A daughter of Raymond Hegarty and Norma Tembo, she won the National Junior Cadet title at 60kgs when beating Olivia Farrell from St Brigid's, Edenderry.
Hegarty won her first national title in 2023, claiming the Girl 1 51kgs honours.
Her latest victory was her second Irish title of 2024. In April, Hegarty blitzed an emphatic trail to take the Girl 2 57kgs title, stopping Rihlee May Cox from Sligo in the final.
She has trained with the Irish team every Saturday over the last while. At Illies Golden Gloves, under the tutelage of coaches the ilk of Stephen Friel and her fellow Letterkenny native John Elliott, Hegarty learns her craft and she can be regularly seen running at the Town Park in her hometown.
Boxing since the age of eight, Kellie Harrington, the reigning Olympic lightweight champion, is her favourite boxer
The European Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Championships, the 21st iteration of this tournament, will take place from August 1-10.
At the 2019 European Schoolgirl Championships, Carleigh Irvine, who was with Illies Golden Gloves at the time, won bronze in the 46kgs division.
Steven O'Reilly of Twin Towns BC was the 68kgs gold medallist in 2004 at these Championships, while Michael Gallagher (Finn Valley ABC, 72kgs in 2010), St Johnston man rett McGinty (Oakleaf, 59kgs in 2012), Leon Gallagher (Finn Valley ABC, 65kgs in 2013) and Ballyshannon's Thomas Ward (Carrickmore BC, 68kgs in 2019) have all won European Schoolboys bronze medals.
“It feels very good to be going away now,” Hegarty said. “I'm buzzing for it.
“I really hope I can come back with any medal.”