SECONDSOUT Oh brother, McCormack siblings reign in Spain
BIRTLEY DUO TAKE ON ELITE IN EUROS - AND COME BACK WITH CHAMPION MEMORIES
BIRTLEY’S trio of superstars have blitzed the Men’s European Elite Championships in the Spanish city of Valladolid.
A sensational achievement saw twins Pat and Luke McCormack crowned champions of Europe, while Calum French claimed a tremendous silver medal.
Pat has been one of the poster boys of British amateur boxing but for his equally-talented twin Luke to at last earn his just desserts and join him on the gold standard is magnificent.
Pat claimed the welterweight title, defeating Spain’s home town boy Sissokho Ndiaye 4-1 in his final to go one better than his Euro silvers of 2015 and 2017.
It tops off a fine year which also saw him take Commonwealth Games gold in Australia.
Pat was forced to wait until the last bout of the night to face the local favourite backed by a ferocious crowd which may well have swayed the one judge out of five, a Romanian, who gave the verdict the other way.
Luke, fighting a weight down at light welter, gained his points decision against Italian Paolo Di Lernia in the grandest of manners on all five judges’ scorecards. He had previously managed silver at the Euros in Ukraine two years ago and bronze at this year’s Commonwealths.
French battled his way through three victories to make the lightweight final where he was outpointed by Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha, the Olympic silver medallist and world champion.
It was nevertheless a sterling performance in Spain by a boxer who improved the colour of his medal from a bronze in 2017.
Overall it has been a superlative medal return which underlines the impressive growth of a little boxing club on the banks of the Tyne which used to operate out of the local fire station before moving into its stateof-the-art facilities.
No other club had more than one representative on the GB squad at the Euros yet Birtley had three - and all made the finals to guarantee the best of medals.
Head coach Graeme Rutherford, the serial producer of national and international champions, has hit the jackpot again.
He said: “I am delighted and proud of all three of them. It is a superlative return. They have done the North East a great service.”
Results in Valladolid: PRELIMINARIES: 60kg: Calum French (ENG) won Dorin Bucsa (MDA) unan pts; 64kg: Luke McCormack won Daniel Janicijevic (AUT) RSC2; 69kg Pat McCormack won Petar Cetinic (CRO) unan pts.
QUARTER FINALS: 60kg Calum French won Antonio D’Urbano (BEL) unan pys; 64kg: Luke McCormack won Lasha Guruli (GEO) split pts (4-1); 69kg: Pat McCormack won Eskerkhan Madiev (GEO) unan pts.
SEMI FINALS: Calum French won Francesco Maietta (ITA) split pts (4-1); Luke McCormack won Dimitri Galagot (MDA) split pts (4-1); Pat McCormack won Kieran Molley (IRL) unan pts. FINALS: Calum French lost Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) unan pts; Luke McCormack won Paolo Di Lernia (ITA) unan pts; Pat McCormack won Sissokho Ndiaye (ESP) split pts (4-1).
Just to emphasise their growth these are the previous achievements of Birtley’s medal-winning trio:
Pat McCormack: 2018 Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia _ Gold; 2017 European Championships, Ukraine _ Silver; 2016 Olympic Games, Rio; 2016 AIBA Olympic Qualification Event, Baku _ Gold; 2016 World Series Boxing _ Boxer Of The regular Season; 2015 European Championships, Samokov _ Silver; 2015 England Boxing National Elite Championship _ Gold; 2014 England Boxing National Elite Championship _ Gold; 2011 AIBA World Junior Championships _ Gold. Luke McCormack: 2018 Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia _ Bronze; 2017 European Championships, Ukraine _ Silver; 2017 England Boxing Elite National Championships _ Gold; 2017 U22 European Championships, Romania _ Gold; 2015 Olympic Test Event, Rio de Janeiro _ Bronze; 2015 England Boxing Elite National Championships _ Gold. Calum French: 2017 European Championships, Ukraine _ Bronze; 2017 GB Boxing Championships, Sheffield _ Gold; 2016 England Boxing Elite National Championships _ Gold; 2015 Three Nations Championships _ Gold; 2015 England Boxing Elite National Championships _ Gold; 2012 England Junior and Youth National Championships _ Gold.