Walsh's rival switches allegiance to Team GB for final Olympics qualifier
Former world boxing champion Amy Broadhurst, who previously competed against Offaly's Gráinne Walsh in Ireland, has switched allegiance and will represent Great Britain at a forthcoming Olympic qualifying event in Thailand
The 27-year-old Dundalk woman, who holds both British and Irish passports, made the decision after it became clear that Walsh would be picked to represent Ireland at 66kg in the final Olympic qualifier tournament, which is getting underway in late May.
Broadhurst will now bid to qualify to represent Team GB in Paris in the 60kg category.
She and Walsh met in the 66kg National Elite Final in Dublin in January 2023, with the Offaly woman producing one of her career-best performances to earn the victory.
If Broadhurst gets to the Olympics, it could place her on a collision course with the reigning Olympic champion, Dublin's Kellie Harrington, who will be Ireland's 60kg representative in Paris.
In a statement this week, Broadhurst said: "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.
"The decision to pursue an alternative route to the Olympic Games – after I was informed by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) in March 2024 that I would not be assessed for selection for the final qualifier – was not taken lightly.
"As the holder of a British passport, 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."
Tullamore's Walsh missed out on Olympic qualification in March when she came out on the wrong end of a highly controversial split decision against Poland's Aneta Rygielska in Italy.
While the Irish team for the final Olympic qualification tournament has not yet been formally announced, the 28-year-old local woman is set to compete again at 66kg in a bid to realise her dream of becoming an Olympian.
The Olympic qualifier tournament will be held in Bangkok from May 25 to June 2.