'My story isn't finished' vows Gráinne after Olympic heartbreak

Tullamore boxer Gráinne Walsh said her story "is not finished yet" after she suffered a heartbreaking and highly controversial split decision defeat in her Olympic qualification bout earlier this week.

The local 28-year-old performed superbly throughout the qualification tournament in Italy, winning her first two fights last Friday and Saturday and then appearing to do enough to defeat Aneta Rygielska in their decisive contest on Monday afternoon.

The 3-2 split decision in favour of her Polish opponent has been strongly criticised by ex-boxers and sports journalists who called it "scandalous" and said it represented "another dark day" for amateur boxing.

There is one more qualification tournament in boxing ahead of this summer's Olympic Games in Paris, and it will be held in Thailand, starting on May 23.

It remains to be seen if Walsh will be selected to travel to Asia for another crack at Olympic qualification, but in a social media post she said she had overcome setbacks before and would do so again.

Walsh wrote that she was "truly heartbroken" over the outcome on Monday.

"I can't change the past. All I can do is regroup and learn from the situation. I don't want the result to tarnish all the hard work and the performances I've put in throughout the tournament," she stated.

"God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. I know I am made of tough stuff and am no stranger to a setback. My story is not finished yet."

Ireland had five boxers already qualified for the Paris Olympics prior to this tournament, but Walsh was one of a handful who narrowly missed out on this occasion, with only Tyrone's Jude Gallagher qualifying in Italy.

Walsh said it had been an incredible effort from the Irish team, and to have Gallagher get over the line was "such a huge lift for the whole country".

"It's been a pleasure to share this experience with my teammates and coaches and it’s one I am very grateful for," she stated.

The Offaly woman expressed her gratitude to those who have supported her and said it meant a great deal to her to have her parents, Geraldine and Gerry, with her during the tournament in Italy.

"Thank you to each and every person who has helped me in any way and to those who believe in me. Having my parents here with me over the past week has been something I’ll cherish forever.

"Hugely disappointed not to get the fairytale ending out here. Just have to wait a little longer," she concluded.

On Monday, Walsh was adjudged to have lost despite Rygielska being deducted a point by a referee in the second round and also being given a standing count in the same round after taking some heavy punches.

It appeared to be a big turning point in the fight; a round that Walsh obviously and decisively won. Yet, shockingly, three of the five judges actually scored the round in favour of the Polish boxer.

The bizarre scoring of the second round has been a focus of the commentary on the fight since Monday, with former Irish Olympic boxer Adam Nolan stating that boxers' dreams were being ruined by dodgy judging.

"(Rygielska) was docked a point for holding. Took a standing count. Two judges had Walsh winning and three had it a draw, yet she loses the bout," stated Nolan, who boxed at the 2012 Olympics in London.

"These corrupt officials are ruining fighters' dreams as per usual. Get rid of them!"

RTÉ’s Jacqui Hurley said the decision was "scandalous", while Vincent Hogan of the Irish Independent said it showed that amateur boxing was still "rotten to the core".

In her first two bouts in Italy, Walsh came from behind to memorably defeat Germany's Stefanie Von Berge. The following day she comfortably outpointed Kenya's Friza Anyango Asiko.

The verdict against Rygielska then left a sour taste in the mouth, and Walsh now faces the mammoth challenge of picking herself up and going again if given the opportunity to compete at the qualifier tournament in Thailand.

But, as she pointed out, she is "made of tough stuff" and even after the heartbreak of this week it would be foolish to discount her chances.