Jennifer Lehane

Last updated
Jennifer Lehane
OLY
Born (1998-08-19) 19 August 1998 (age 26) [1]
Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland [2]
Statistics
Weight(s) Bantamweight
Height160 cm (5 ft 3 in) [2]
Stance Southpaw [2]

Jennifer "Jenny" Lehane OLY (born 19 August 1998) is an Irish amateur boxer. She was the first female bantamweight boxer from her country to take part in an Olympics Games having competed at Paris 2024.

Biography

The fourth oldest of six children, Lehane competed internationally in taekwondo from the age of 15, going on to become European champion in 2018 and 2019. [3]

She took up boxing while studying primary school teaching at Dublin City University and, representing DCU Athletic Boxing Club, won the Irish National Elite Championships in 2021, after which she was asked to join the Irish Amateur Boxing Association High Performance Unit. [3] [4]

Lehane made her international boxing debut for Ireland at the Nicolae Linca Golden Belt tournament in Romania in April 2022, taking home a bronze medal. [5]

Having achieved her degree, Lehane worked for a year in a primary school before putting teaching on hold to focus full-time on boxing. [3]

At the 2023 European Games in Poland she lost in the quarter-finals via split decision to eventual gold medalist Stanimira Petrova from Bulgaria. [4] [6]

Lehane lost in her first contest at the World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 1 in Italy in March 2024, going down on a split decision against French boxer Romane Moulai. [4] [7]

In May 2024, Lehane qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament 2 in Thailand where she won three fights culminating in a unanimous decision victory over Hungary's Hanna Lakotar in the crucial contest that sealed her place in Paris. [8] [9] [10] She is the first Irish female bantamweight boxer to qualify for an Olympics. [4]

Lehane's Olympic place was officially confirmed when Ireland named their boxing team on 28 June 2024. [11] [12] She was given a bye into the second round [13] where she lost by unanimous decision to 2018 Asian Games gold medalist Chang Yuan from China. [14] [15] [16] [17]

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References

  1. ↑ "Jennifer Lehane". tapology.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  2. 1 2 3 "Boxrec profile of Jenny Lehane". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  3. 1 2 3 "'It's a scary thing leaving the job and pursuing this really big, big dream'". Meath Chronicle. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "'You have to give your full whack' – Jenny Lehane on swapping the classroom for the ring in pursuit of her Olympic dream". Irish Independent. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  5. ↑ "Jennifer Lehane gets a taste for International success". Irish Boxing. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  6. ↑ "Mixed emotions for Irish boxers at the European Games". Irish Examiner. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  7. ↑ "Gallagher and Cassidy progress, disappointment for Lehane at Olympic qualifiers". The 42. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  8. ↑ "'We did it' – Olympian Jennifer Lehane 'on top of the world'". Irish Boxing. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  9. ↑ "Aidan Walsh, Daina Moorehouse, Jennifer Lehane and Grainne Walsh win in Bangkok as Ireland qualify record number for Olympics". RTE. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  10. ↑ "Lehane achieves cherished ambition and qualifies for Paris 2024". Meath Chronicle. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  11. ↑ "Ireland name 10-strong team for Paris Olympics". BBC Sport. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  12. ↑ "Ireland's boxing contingent confirmed for Paris Games". RTE. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  13. ↑ "Paris Olympic Boxing – DRAW + FIGHT TIMES". Irish Boxing. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  14. ↑ "Olympic Dream Ends – Jennifer Lehane hits a great Chinese wall". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  15. ↑ "Jenny Lehane done with Paris 2024 but not with boxing". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  16. ↑ "'I came up just a bit short' – Jenny Lehane bows out of Olympics with 5-0 loss to experienced Chinese opponent". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  17. ↑ "Team Ireland's Jenny Lehane exits Paris an Olympian". Irish Athletic Boxing Association. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
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