Eye injury threatens Ahern’s shot at Beijing

DARREN SUTHERLAND and Conor Ahern got Ireland’shopes off to a flying start at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens yesterday but while Sutherland will be back in action today, Ahern faces an anxious wait to see if he can box tomorrow after sustaining a cut eye in his flyweight contest.

Ahern beat the gangly Swede, Salomo N’Tune 14-8 but emerged from a clash of heads in the fourth round with a nasty cut over his left eye and will have to wait for a medicalexamination to see if he can renew rivalry tomorrow with Bato-Munko Vankeyeu of Belarus, who beat him at the world championships in Chicago.

“He has been examined and treated by the French team doctor and it looks quite encouraging,” High Performance Director, Gary Keegan, said. “Obviously he will have to pass the medical on Wednesday morning so it is going to be an anxious wait but we are very hopeful.”