Baku Games - Friday preview

Boxing, diving and archery make up the sports with Irish involvement on Day Seven of the European Games in Baku.

Brendan Irvine of St Paul’s Boxing Club in Belfast opens his light-flyweight campaign in the boxing ring against Bulgarian Tinko Banabakov around 10:15 Irish time this morning.

Kieran Behan is one of the Irish athletes still in medal contention.

The women’s boxing gets underway during the evening session with Ceire Smith facing Norway’s Camilla Johansen at flyweight.

Sinead Cuthbert has an opening round archery contest against Russia’s Natalia Erdynieva around midday Irish time, while Natasha MacManus gets the Irish action underway with an early morning qualification attempt in the 1m springboard diving.

And even though Kieran Behan finished 17th in the men’s individual all-around gymnastics final last night, he was the top-scorer in the floor rotation, making him a major prospect for a medal in tomorrow’s floor final.

Individual all-around gold was claimed by Ukrainian Oleg Verniaiev, ahead of Azerbaijan silver-medallist Oleg Stepko, with Nikita Ignatyev of Russia in third.