Kellie Harrington takes first step towards Paris Games

Kellie Harrington set off on the road to the Paris Olympics at the European Games in Poland with a victory over Slovakia's Miroslava Jedinakova.

The Olympic champion faced an awkward opener against the tall and athletic Jedinakova, and while the Slovakian was the more aggressive in the first round, leading with the long left jab, neither fighter really landed too much of note.

Harrington certainly upped the workrate in the second, looking for openings, however, her rangy opponent kept on the front foot, while working well to move back out of Harrington’s range.

The Tokyo gold medallist got some real joy in the final round with some strong connecting punches to wrap up the 4-1 victory.

Harrington scored three 10:9 results from four of the five judges, with Canada’s Edward Blanchard awarding Jedinakova a 2-1 overall win.

However, it is Harrington who will progress to the last-16, knowing that she is now just two wins away from securing a berth at the Paris Games, with the four semi-finalists in the division gaining qualification.

Jude Gallagher is next of the Irish contingent in action (approx 1pm Irish time), as he takes on Javier Ibanez Diaz from Bulgaria in the 57kg category, while Dean Clancy faces Austria’s Arsen Chabyan at 63.5kg (approx. 2:20pm).

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