Cork boxer Lauran Crinnion is on the rise after European success

LAUREN Crinnion recently returned home from Turkey to a hero’s welcome from her family, friends and neighbours from Ardcullen after winning a silver medal at the European Schools Boxing Championships.

Her newfound fame in the past few weeks has been an unreal experience for the young boxer, as she has been busy doing interviews for a number of media outlets.

However, the quiet young woman has her feet firmly on the ground and can’t wait to get back training as soon as possible.

It was a great achievement for the 13-year-old in her first time representing her country. The talented and stylish boxer from the Fr Horgan’s club has a great future ahead of her.

Lauren began boxing at the age of eight when her father and coach Kenneth brought her along to a training session in the Parochial Hall.

She is following a family tradition as Kenneth was an accomplished boxer with the South Parish Boxing Club under trainer John O’Neill and her grandfather Jim Doherty and his father before him, Ned, were also very useful boxers.

She took to the fight game like a fish to water, as she showed great potential from the first day she put on her boxing gloves.

She had her first fight in an exhibition bout in Tramore in 2019 and won with a second-round stoppage. Lauren had a few more exhibition fights before she had her first competitive fight in Drimnagh Boxing Club in Dublin in 2019.

That fight was an 41kg All-Ireland semifinal and she stoped her opponent in the second round. Lauren returned to Drimnagh two weeks later to beat Emma Barry from the Setanta Boxing Club Kildare to be crowned All-Ireland Champion.

“I started boxing when six years ago, when I pleaded with my dad Kenneth to take me with him to a Fr Horgan’s training session at the Parochial Hall,” Lauren said. 

From the first day I walked into the gym I knew this was the sport for me. I love the discipline of the sport and it’s after giving me a lot of confidence in general.

“I had some exhibition fights before I fought my first competitive fight in an All-Ireland semi-final in Dublin in 2019. I won my fight and I was on the road again with my father and mother Letitia two weeks later to fight for the Girl 2 All-Ireland title. I beat a girl called Emma Barry which gave me my first national title.”

Lauren trained very hard during lockdown doing a lot of individual work and all that paid off when she won her second All-Ireland 41kg title last April beating Barry again in the National Stadium.

Two months later she was at the National Stadium again to fight for the Cadet 44kg Girl 3 Irish title against Keelan O’Flynn from the St Colman’s Club. She won that fight, her third national title, and was called into the Irish team to train with the High-Performance Camp at the National Stadium.

BUSY

“This has been a very busy year for me as I won my second national title last April beating my old foe Emma Barry at the National Stadium.

“Two months later I stepped up to the 44kg weight to fight Keelan O’Flynn from the St Colmans Club for the Cadets Irish Title. I won my fight and was called into the Irish squad for the European Schools Boxing Championships in Turkey.”

She had to travel to Dublin every weekend to train with the High-Performance Team at the National Stadium.

“I also trained twice a day Monday to Friday and went to Al Murray, my strength and conditioning coach, who helped me before I travelled to the Europeans.”

She headed to Turkey with plenty of confidence and won her first two fights of the competition. However, she lost to a Ukrainian fighter in the final but took home a silver medal and now she is very determined to go back next year and win the gold medal.

Lauren is very proud of what she has achieved in a short period of time and wants to follow her heroes, World Champion Katie Taylor and Olympic Champion Kelly Harrington in putting women’s and girls boxing in the spotlight.

“I traveled with plenty of confidence and won my first two fights. I then fought a Ukrainian girl in the final and lost a very close fight.

My emotions were all over the place after the fight and it wasn’t until I came back into the dressing room that I realised what I accomplished.

“I am now back training and I’m very focused on retaining my national titles and bringing a gold medal home in the next European Championships.”