- Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor (born
1986 inBray ,Co. Wicklow ,Ireland ) is an Irish boxer and footballer, representing her country at the highest levels in both sports.She started boxing (coached by her father Peter, himself a successful amateur boxer) in 1998, aged 12. Her first noteworthy success was at the 2005 European Amateur Championships, in
Tønsberg, Norway . She won the gold medal, defeating Eva Wahlström of Finland in the final of the 60-kg lightweight class. Later that year, at the World Amateur Championships inPodolsk ,Russia , Taylor advanced to the quarter-finals in the 60-kg weight class.At the 2006 European Amateur Championships in
Warsaw, Poland , Taylor won her second successive gold medal by stopping reigning world champion Tatiana Chalaya of Russia, also collecting the tournament's Best Boxer award. At that year's World Amateur Championships, contested inNew Delhi, India , Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion, defeating Chalaya again in the semi-final and then Annabella Farias of Argentina in the 60-kg final.In 2007 she won her third successive European Championship title in Denmark [http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=2057] .
In August 2008, she claimed her second consecutive Witch Cup gold medal following an inside-the-distance win in the 60Kg final with Eva Walstrom in Hungary.
As well as boxing, Taylor plays with the Ireland Women's Senior football team. She scored in the opening
UEFA 2009 qualifying round win over Hungary on the 1st of April 2007 [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/woco/fixturesresults/round=2381/match=85405/index.html] . She scored again and got sent off in a 4-1 loss in Italy on the 16th of February 2008 [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/woco/fixturesresults/round=2381/match=85415/index.html] . Previously, she had played with the national teams at the U-17 and U-19 levels.As for her preferred sport: "I love playing for Ireland, and I love soccer, but when it comes down to it I would choose boxing as my number one sport as I'd miss it too much if I wasn't involved."
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