IRELAND has secured another medal at the Tokyo Olympics after Aidan Walsh strolled into the semi-final of the welterweight boxing event.
It's Ireland's third medal of the Games so far following Fintan McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan's sensational victory in the rowing on Thursday.
24-year-old Walsh cruised past Merven Clair of Mauritius in the quarter-final and is now guaranteed at least a Bronze medal.
He came out flying in the opening round, and maintained his composure throughout the fight to gradually pick off his opponent, eventually leading to 4-1 split decision win for the Irishman.
As his sister, and fellow boxer, Michaela watched on from the stands, Aidan struggled to contain the excitement of a guaranteed Olympic medal following the bout.
"I would cut my medal in half and give [Michaela] half of it," he said.
"It's incredible, it's amazing, it's something that I dreamed of since I was no age.
"The amount of training I've put in and the amount of sacrifices... my coaches, my club coaches, my family and girlfriend, everybody has given me so much support and I'm just so grateful.
'He's fighting Ireland's Aidan Walsh!' - @aidanwalsh997 is looking forward to his semi-final bout against Britain's Pat McCormack on Sunday after securing bronze#boxing #olympics #tokyo2020 #RTESport
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/lLKXNhKPkF
📱 Report - https://t.co/alWqad7ePY pic.twitter.com/Jru9Ez64xV— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 30, 2021
"I just do what the coaches tell me. They come up with a game plan and you just do it, just listen. Boxers say it's like a computer game, they're playing a computer game, I'm just the operator in it and doing my best to do what they're telling me to do.
"I'm happy with my performance but I want to progress on. You want to be the best and I feel like I'm improving all the time."
Walsh will face Team GB's Pat McCormack on Sunday for a place in the final and a guaranteed Silver.
Notably, the Irishman has failed to beat the Brit in three previous meetings, but Walsh says he isn't going to let that worry him.
"He faces Ireland's Aidan Walsh, that's the way I'm looking at it.
"It's just going in there with the belief that you can beat anybody, with the right tactics and coaches. I'm getting better and better every fight."
