O’Rourke defeats Tokyo Olympics rival to reach tournament final in Bulgaria

Castlerea boxer Aoife O’Rourke avenged her Tokyo Olympics defeat at the hands of Qian Li of China  with a stunning victory this afternoon, Saturday, in the middleweight semi-final at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament in Bulgaria.

The 26-year-old Roscommon boxer claimed a comprehensive 4-1 victory over double Olympic and triple World medallist Li to book her place in the 75kg final.

It was a particularly sweet victory for the double European champion and Paris Olympian. In the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021, Qian ended O’Rourke’s maiden Olympic appearance when the Chinese boxer won a last 16 bout between the two and went on to win the silver medal.

Aoife last competed in the Strandja Memorial Tournament in 2022, taking gold.