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Jennifer Lehane will be travelling with the Ireland team to the Elite European Championships in Bulgaria.
JENNIFER LEHANE HAS a dilemma to figure out around the fight between Katie Taylor and Flora Pili. She has tickets for the Croke Park showdown on Saturday, but has fighting commitments of her own to consider too.
The European Elite Championships are coming up in Bulgaria where she will fight in the 54kg division. Lehane fully intends to see the light-welterweight world champion from Bray battle to become a three-time undisputed champion in what will be her finale fight, but she remains undecided on whether she can do so in person.
“We have our international sparring camp. I’m kind of having to make up my mind in terms of what’s best for me and the European Championships. But what a spectacle it’ll be. ” The Meath native never met Taylor, but there was one occasion when they almost crossed paths.
It was back when Lehane was still teaching while also trying to make her breakthrough in the sport. Taylor, who was on the way to becoming a dominant force in the professional game, called in to visit the High Performance Unit one day during a training session. Advertisement “I missed out on meeting her, but still such an amazing role model for the whole team.
” Marvelling at how Taylor has conquered the professional ranks, Lehane adds: “She has the best attitude towards training. I suppose she made that transition smoothly and she’s just built on it from the get-go. She is a superb athlete. I think she’ll perform really well, and hopefully she enjoys the whole night.
” Before Taylor made that switch, she was a star in the amateur ranks, famously winning a gold medal the London 2012 Olympics. Kellie Harrington has also flourished as an amateur and is a back-to-back Olympic gold medallist. She subsequently retired from international competition but has since made her return to the ring and will join Lehane and the rest of the Irish team at the European Championships.
“Kellie Harrington is one of the best boxers in the world and to just have her around when I’m doing my own training is such a lift,” says a delighted Lehane about that development. “It always pushes you to have such a high performing athlete alongside you. It’s really helped me develop as a boxer as well. To become a double Olympic champion is just something so special.
” Lehane first discovered boxing while studying to become a primary-school teacher at St Pat’s. Taekwondo was her main sport at that time, and she laced up the gloves as a way of keeping fit during her off-season. Within five years, Lehane was making her Olympic debut in boxing’s 54kg division at the Paris Games. By that stage, she had stepped away from teaching to commit herself fully to the Olympic dream.
Being an educator is still something she remains passionate about, and she worked as a substitute teacher after the Paris Olympics. She intends to fully get back into the profession again at some point.
“It’s a job that I loved, and I was sad to step away from it. At the same time, I wanted to pursue the boxing. But no, definitely down the line. I think the older I get, the wiser I’m getting as well in terms of realising sporting careers only last for a short window.
So, I’m trying to grab it with both hands. There’ll be plenty of years I’ll be able to go back into the schools to teach.
“My sister’s a teacher and I’ve got lots of teaching friends as well. So, I’m still in the loop. I almost get that back to September feeling alongside them. ” But business in Bulgaria is her main focus right now.
The action gets underway on Thursday, 17 September.
“I feel ready to go now. We’ve got some great experiences this year, developing as a boxer, coming across different sparring opponents throughout the year.
“It was a great experience to be travelling to these different tournaments, and you’re competing against the best of the best. Related Reads Watch: Emotional tribute to Katie Taylor ahead of Croke Park homecoming 'I didn't hear it, but if I'd heard it at the time, there might have been a different scene in the ring' 'I want to be the guy that's brought Irish heavyweight boxing from nowhere to world-championship level' “These next few weeks, we just need to sharpen up, and I’m buzzing to go.
” **** Jennifer Lehane is a brand ambassador for Chadwicks, Ireland’s leading builders’ provider.
European Elite Championships Jennifer Lehane Katie Taylor Kellie Harrington
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