Aidan Walsh has been forced to withdraw from his Olympic welterweight semi-final against Pat McCormack due to an ankle injury.
The 24-year-old is reported to have suffered the injury while celebrating in the ring when it was announced he had defeated Merven Clair at the quarter-final stage on Thursday. That victory secured the Belfast fighter at least a bronze medal.
"Walsh had initially hoped to compete and waited to give himself every opportunity to do so," the Olympic Federation of Ireland said in a statement.
"However subsequent scans and medical reviews have now ruled out this possibility."
Injury forces Aidan Walsh out of Olympics
30 July 2021; Aidan Walsh of Ireland is declared victorious over Merven Clair of Mauritius by referee Mansur Muhiddinov following their men's welterweight quarter-final bout at the Kokugikan Arena during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Team Ireland's Bernard Dunne said:
“What Aidan did this week is an incredible achievement. His performance throughout the tournament has been outstanding. And it is great to see him write his name in the annals of Irish sport.
"Just over two years ago we selected Aidan for his first major championship, and over the past few months that potential that we had identified has grown and developed into a world class performance, that reflects greatly on the level of preparation he has put in ahead of these Games.”
"These are a unique Games, and I’m really impressed with the team itself. They’ve all been rallying around each other, and I know that we will continue to do so. We have two more boxers hoping to win some medals, in Kellie and Kurt, and we will collectively make sure that they are ready."
Ireland now has two boxers remaining in competition at the Olympics. Featherweight Kurt Walker, who is due to fight in the early hours of Sunday morning for a medal against Duke Ragan, and lightweight Kellie Harrington, who fights Imane Khelif for a medal on Tuesday.
Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
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