Roscommon sisters Lisa and Aoife O’Rourke both battled their way to finals at the European Elite Championships in Bulgaria, guaranteeing themselves at least silver medals.

Aoife O’Rourke progressed to her 75kg final with a 4-1 victory over Russia’s Saltanat Medenova. The older of the sisters dominated a fight which had a blistering pace and should realistically have been scored 5-0. The outlier judge scored it 30-27 in the Russian’s favour while the other four gave it to O’Rourke on the same scoreline. Aoife will box for her fourth European Championship title against Turkey’s Busra Isildar, a multiple World and European medallist.

Lisa O’Rourke won her 80kg bout 5-0 against Ukraine’s Iryna Lutsak with all five judges scoring it 30-27. She will take on 2023 world champion, Russia’s Anastasiia Demurchian, in Thursday’s evening session.

Michaela Walsh secured at least a bronze medal in the 57kg weight class. Walsh stunned the home crowd as she came from behind to earn the win.

Double Olympian Walsh took on triple Bulgarian Olympian, Stanimira Petrova, in their quarter-final. It was a cagey contest, with the boxers level on four scorecards going into the last. 

Walsh dominated the third round and came away with a 5-0 decision. 

“I knew coming in this was going to be a tough fight, but for this tournament I’ve really started to believe in myself, to trust in myself,” said Walsh.

“I’ve been around the world and done it so many times and I think I can be my hardest critic sometimes. I just wanted to believe in myself. I know I can get performances like that all the time.

“The plan was to win the first round. I came back, I was down, but I think watching Jude and Aoife as well when they had been down and they just put it on. I think I had a brilliant second round.

“I could see her blowing a wee bit. I knew she was tired and I knew I was fit. I said to myself before I went in, ‘I’m not leaving Bulgaria without a medal,’ and I’m just so, so happy that I was able to get a performance like that.”

She will be back in action for her semi-final in Thursday’s evening session where she takes on Kukhta Vlagyszlava of Hungary.

Earlier, Jude Gallagher was eliminated after a 3-2 defeat to Spain’s Ewart Andres Marin Hernandez in their 60kg quarter-final.

Judges scored the bout, 29:28, 29:28, 28:29, 28:29, 30:27 in favour of the 22-year-old Spaniard, a former World Youth silver medallist and a silver medallist at August’s Mediterranean Games.

Paris Olympian Gallagher, who hails from Tyrone, had a good championship with notable wins over Maksym Bocarov of Slovakia and Lounes Hamraoui of France.

Irish boxers in action on Wednesday

70kg semi-final: Jon McConnell V Nabi Isgandarov, AZE, Ring B, Evening Session Bout 9 Approx 6:15pm