Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst switches to Britain after snub; aims at Paris Olympics quota place
After not being selected by Ireland to participate in the final Olympic qualifier in Bangkok, Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst has switched to Great Britain in a bid to secure the Paris Olympics quota. Amy will be representing Britain in the upcoming Olympics qualifier in Thailand next month.
It is worth noting that she was born in Ireland but also holds a British passport because of her English father.
“It has always been my dream to compete at the Olympic Games and I am very happy that I have been selected by GB Boxing to go to the final qualifying event in Thailand in May,” Broadhurst said in a statement.
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association didn’t consider her for selection last month, which left her heartbroken. However, she didn’t let it stop her dreams and went on to explore other options.
"I felt I owed it to myself and all the people that have supported me" - Amy Broadhurst
Broadhurst was selected for Great Britain to compete at her preferred light weight of 60kg on Monday.
It is the same category in which Ireland’s Kellie Harrington won gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Besides, she has already secured qualification to Paris 2024.
If Amy Broadhurst manages to secure the quota for Paris Games, there could be a chance that she will be facing her domestic Irish rival Kellie Harrington in Paris.
“I felt I owed it to myself and all the people that have supported me throughout my career to do everything possible to continue to pursue my dream of competing on the biggest stage in sport," she further said in the statement.
Speaking of her accolades, Amy won the 2022 World and European championships for Ireland at the light-welterweight category. In the same year, she also bagged a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland in the same category.
Meanwhile, Rob McCracken, British Boxing’s performance director, also shed light on the thought process behind picking Amy Broadhurst.
“The selection criteria dictates that we choose people that demonstrate the potential to qualify for and to win a medal at the Olympic Games,” he said.