2008 Olympic Games page 

Ireland wins its first medals of the 2008 Olympic Games after Paddy Barnes (48kg) and Kenny Egan (81kg) win their boxing quarterfinals at the Workers' Gymnasium on Tuesday to guarantee themselves at least a bronze medal.

With both losing semifinalists awarded bronze medals, Ireland is guaranteed to add to its career total of nine medals and its first since 1992.

Pic: Paddy Barnes leads Ireland to a fantastic day

In a pulsating day of action, Barnes opened the session with a 11:5 win over Lukasz Maszczyk (POL), keeping the Pole scoreless in the last two rounds in the process.

"It's brilliant, I can't believe it, I'm over the moon," Barnes said on reaching the Olympic semifinals. "I felt too strong and fast for him. He just played into my hands as he kept trying to go forward."

Later in the session 48kg world champion Zou Shiming (CHN) was never headed as he repeated his Athens performance - where he finished with bronze - of reaching the semifinals by beating the 2005 world championship bronze medallist Birzhan Zhakypov (KAZ) 9:4.

The 2007 Asian champion Serdambbba Purevdorj (MGL) soon followed and beat Amnat Ruenroeng (THA), the AIBA World Championships Chicago 2007 bronze medallist, 5:2 before Russia's Alexey Tishchenko continued to impress in his new class of 60kg. The AIBA World Championships Chicago 2007 bronze medallist and 2005 world champion and Olympic champion in the 57kg class beat Pan American champion Darleys Perez (COL) convincingly 13:5.

Pic: Alexey Tishchenko (RUS) has been one of the stars of the Olympics

In the same weight division, France qualified its third boxer into the semifinals after Daouda Sow beat Qing Hu (CHN) 9:6 while the 2005 world champion Yordenis Hernandez (CUB) beat Georgian Popescu (ROM) 11:7 to be the sixth Cuban to reach the semifinals.

"These young guys have performed according to our expectations," Cuban head coach Pedro Roque said. "Sometime it's hard for the Cuban people to believe how difficult it is to build a team after so many defections and only one year before the Olympics. Now we are proud of our results and we can say that we've made it.

"I admire the discipline and camaraderie that this team has because when we work as a team we get good results. With six guaranteed medals and two more possibilities out of ten boxers, I have to say 'thank you,' not only to the other coaches but also to the youth coaches who trained these kids for much more than a year."

Pic: Yampier G Hernandez (left) is one of six Cubans who has successfully made it to the semifinals

The final weight division of the evening 81kg saw Egan finish a wonderful night for the Irish with a 8:0 win over Washington Silva of Brazil.

"The pressure is off," Egan said. "I enjoyed myself out there and the atmosphere was amazing. Getting to the semifinals of the Olympic Games, that is what it is all about."

Wednesday's quarterfinals will feature only eight bouts across two weight categories - 51kg and 75kg - starting at 19:00.

Semifinal stats to date:
Total boxers: 36
Total countries represented: 19 (Armenia, Azerbaijan, China (IV), Cuba (VI), Dominican Republic, France (III), Great Britain (II), Ireland (II), Italy (II), Kazakhstan (II), Korea, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia (II), Russia (II), Thailand, Turkey, USA, Ukraine (II))