Ad Astra scholar Tadhg O’Donnell wins 75kg title at National Elite Boxing Championships

27 January 2026

UCD Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar Tadhg O'Donnell has taken home the men’s 75kg title at the finals of the National Elite Boxing Championships.

In front of a packed crowd at the National Stadium, Jobstown BC’s O’Donnell was crowned champion on a 5-0 decision, following an action-packed contest with Gavin Rafferty of Dublin Docklands.

Hailing from Greystones, Co. Wicklow, 19-year-old O’Donnell is a second-year Sport & Exercise Management student, and is UCD’s first ever Ad Astra scholar in boxing.

He described the feeling of winning the title as "unbelievable".

When he was 15 years old, O'Donnell won gold for Ireland in the 66kg division at the 2022 European Junior Championships in Italy, receiving a hero’s welcome on his return to school. 

A six-time all-Ireland champion, he also secured a bronze medal at the European Youth Championships in Porec, Croatia in 2024.

The National Elite Championships are amateur boxing's blue riband event. The finals featured nine former Olympians between the ropes.

These included Kellie Harrington, who returned from retirement to win the women’s 60kg final against Kellie McLoughlin of St Catherine’s BC.

Meanwhile, 2025 World Champion Aoife O’Rourke defeated Bunclody BC’s Shauna Kearney by unanimous decision in the women’s 75kg final.

The Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholarship programme at University College Dublin supports students who are competing and succeeding at the highest sporting levels. It is the University’s flagship scholarship programme.

By: Rebecca Hastings, Digital Journalist, UCD University Relations

To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie