Irish trio impress to advance in Olympic qualifiers

Kelyn Cassidy advanced to the last 16 of the World Qualification Tournament for the Olympic Games in impressive style, with a stiff left hand ending his contest with Guatemala's Wyatt Trujillo inside 90 seconds in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

Trujillo appeared determined to hold the centre of the ring in this 80kg contest, with Cassidy happy to slip in and land lefts at will. His opponent was trying to be aggressive, but left himself open advancing on the three-time Irish senior champion midway through the first, only to be met with a stiff left that sent him tumbling backwards and onto the canvas.

The referee immediately waved off the contest, leaving the Waterford native just two wins away from booking a spot in Paris, with Armenia’s Rafayel Hovhannisyan next up on Sunday.

Grainne Walsh also advanced, picking up the notable scalp of Stefanie von Berge, who in 2022 became the first German European champion in Budva.

The first round of this 66kg contest belonged to Von Berge, who was ahead on four of the five scorecards, but she matched that in round two to leave the fight in the balance heading into the final round.

Almost from the bell in the third, Walsh took control of proceedings, a series of nice combinations in the first minute catching the eye of the judges.

The rangy Von Berge tried to pick off Walsh from distance in the closing minute, but her opponent’s head speed ensured that the Irish fighter was never troubled and with four judges siding with her in round three, she took a 3-2 win.

All fighters will seal a ticket to the Olympics if they make it as far as the semi-finals.

Daina Moorehouse made it three from three for Ireland with a split decision win over Tayonis Cedeno.

In a tentative opening round in the 50kg category,