Sophie’s a knockout after All-Ireland win!
SOPHIE TIERNEY underlined her consistency and quality when she boxed her way to victory in the All-Ireland Youth 2 54kg final five years ago.
The Kilmore native, a member of the Clonard club under the tutelage of coach Tom Hayes, collected the title for the second year in a row at the National Stadium in Dublin.
Her desire to complete a double was crystal clear in the semi-final when she dismissed Michelle McMeel of Clonmel by a unanimous 3-0 decision from the judges.
And she really showed her mettle in the final, seeing off Gilford boxer Clodagh McComiskey on a split decision, coming from behind after losing the first round.
Remarkably, it was only the third year of competitive boxing for Tierney, but she had displayed admirable progress.
After winning county championships, the Michael Andrews title on two occasions, as well as tasting provincial success, she was very much at home when making the step up to the national stage.
And as well as training three nights a week with dedicated coach Hayes in the Clonard club, Tierney was combining that with regular Saturday morning journeys to Dublin to participate with the sport’s high performance unit. She had been picked to join that elite crew after her maiden national title.
The 16-year-old had already made her debut at international level, losing narrowly to Amanda Lundstrom of Sweden and Jade Ashmore from Great Britain after two close contests, but gaining tremendous experience in the process.