Irish boxer Aidan Walsh has been forced to withdraw from his welterweight semi-final bout against Britain's Pat McCormack due to injury and settle for a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Belfast fighter suffered the ankle injury while celebrating his quarter-final win over Merven Clair of Mauritius on Friday.
Walsh had initially hoped to shake off the knock in time for Sunday’s bout but a statement released by the Olympic Federation of Ireland late on Saturday night Irish time confirmed that the decision had been made to withdraw on medical grounds.
"What Aidan did this week is an incredible achievement," said boxing team leader Bernard Dunne. "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 performer, that reflects greatly on the level of preparation he has put in ahead of these Games.”
