Rio redemption for David Oliver Joyce

Three-time EU Elite champion David Oliver Joyce realised a lifetime ambition when qualifying for Rio 2016 on the final day of the European Olympic qualifiers in Samsun, Turkey yesterday.

The St Michael’s Athy BC lightweight, at the wrong end of questionable officiating in the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 qualifiers, beat Turkey’s Volkan Gokcek on a split decision in a thrilling box-off between the losing 60kg semi-finalists at the Black Sea port.

Joyce split the judges in his favour in the first, but Gokcek’s counter-punching impressed all three cards in the second to lean the scoring 20-18, 19-19, 19-19 toward the home boxer going into the third and final round.