Paris 2024: Zaur Antia expected to lead Ireland if boxing at LA 2028

The High Performance Director of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) expects Zaur Antia to lead Ireland again if boxing is included at LA 2028.

Kellie Harrington's gold medal win in the women's 60kg on Tuesday night meant Antia has had a hand in ten Olympic medals as part of the Irish coaching team.

The IABA's lauded head coach has been part of the team since moving to Ireland in 2003, and has been head coach since the departure of Billy Walsh in 2015.

However, the question of the Georgian's eventual successor has begun to raise its head following the end of Ireland's boxing involvement in Paris with Harrington's second consecutive gold.

Tricia Heberle, who was Ireland's Tokyo Olympics Chef de Mission, said she can already see a coaching succession plan coming together but expects the 61-year-old to stay on for the 2028 Games, if boxing is featured.

She said: "He is key to the succes but I think what Zaur has really done especially over these last 15 months or so is bring the next group of coaches through.

"Already, I can see the possibilities of succession planning and there are a group of good coaches, some here (in Paris), some at home, that could all figure into the future should Zaur decide there is an end point, a finish line.

"But as far as I'm concerned, in the conversations I've had with him, if boxing is in LA (2028) I expect him to be leading the Irish team."

Harrington was Ireland's sole boxing success at Paris 2024, with the nine other fighters failing to progress to the medal bouts.

Heberle admitted the team was disappointed with Ireland's overall performance at the Games.

"I think we have to be honest, we're disappointed. We came here to win multiple medals and we believed we could," she said.

"But we also