O’Rourke takes gold in top Bulgarian tournament

Castlerea boxer Aoife O’Rourke has won the gold medal this afternoon, Sunday, after putting in another impressive performance at the prestigious Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria, beating her Thailand opponent in the middleweight final.

The 26-year-old Roscommon boxer claimed an impressive 3-2 win in the 75kg decider over Baison Manikon, the Asian U-22 champion and Tokyo Olympian.

It’s been an excellent tournament in Sofia for the County Roscommon boxer as she continues her preparation for the Paris Olympics in the summer.

In the semi-final, O’Rourke avenged her Tokyo Olympics defeat at the hands of 33-year-old Qian Li with a signature victory over the Chinese boxer, a former world champion and multiple Olympic gold medallist.