A Wexford woman has been selected on the Irish Defence Forces boxing team…
The Irish Defence Forces Boxing Team has just completed a two-week intensive training camp in preparation for their upcoming multi-nations event in France.
The team features a mix of international boxers, with current High Performance Senior Squad member, Tpr Brian Kennedy, and Team Captain Cpl Jamie Long bringing a wealth of experience. Pte TJ King will make his military international debut, while the hard-hitting Pte Matthew Doev will also take part in the competition.
Wexford woman, and former National Elite Champion Pte, Shauna Kearney from Bunclody, has also been selected on the Irish Defence Forces Boxing Team for the competition.
Preparations have been overseen by DF Boxing Head Coach, Sgt John Molloy, who has been able to call on the experience of Pte Ross Hickey, CS Tommy Sheahan, and the technical expertise of international referee and judge, Sgt Stephen Kelly.
For Wexford woman Shauna, preparations for Monday’s multi-nations competition have went extremely well:
“The preparations have gone really well. The coaches over the camp are absolutely brilliant and have really pushed us all throughout the camp.”
Competitions like this can be difficult. An added difficulty is the fact that she won’t know who she’s fighting until more or less the day of the fight:
“I’ve no idea who I’m fighting at the moment, but I pretty sure there’s a few different girls in my weight so I’m really excited. Ireland will be competing against Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Slovenia, Tunisia and France,” she told Wexford Weekly.
Last November, she told us that her long-term plan is “to box for Team Ireland at LA 2028.” While long-term plans still remain, she is simply living in the present and wants to win everything in front of her, taking it one step at a time:
“My plans for this year is just to take each competition as it comes. At the minute, I’m just putting all my focus into bringing home Gold and then I’ll focus on what’s next,” she told Wexford Weekly.
Commandant John Moody, DF Boxing President, says this is an important competition:
“Not only for the development of Defence Forces Boxing on the international stage but also as the starting point of a two-year cycle leading up to the World Military Games in 2027.”
The team will depart on Sunday, while the competition is to commence on Monday. As Shauna mentioned, the Irish team will compete against six European nations and Tunisia.
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.
Read also:
Remember to submit your news to Wexford Weekly! To advertise on our socials or website, email our team at info@wexfordweekly.com
