“The final three minutes stood between Jenny Lehane and a dream she had spent years chasing- one fight to change her life forever.” 

Ashbourne boxer Lehane reflects on the sacrifices, setbacks and unforgettable moments that shaped her journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as she sets her sights on Los Angeles 2028. 

For Lehane, the road to the Olympic Games began not with a great ambition, but with a desire to keep fit. A college student looking to fill a break in her Taekwon-do competition schedule, she walked into the boxing club at Dublin City University (DCU) with little idea that the sport would eventually take her to one of the biggest stages in the world. 

“I had no intention of competing in the sport,” she recalled. “I decided to go down to the club and do a few sessions to keep my fitness up.” 

Lehane had grown up competing in ITF Taekwon-do, a sport that had shaped much of her early sporting life. However, having watched Katie Taylor’s journey in boxing, she had developed an interest in trying something new. What began as a temporary change of pace soon became something much more significant. 

“Once I started, I fell in love with it,” she said. 

For around a year, Lehane attempted to balance both sports before making the difficult decision to focus on boxing and see how far she could go. Leaving Taekwon-do behind was bittersweet, but she was excited by the possibility of discovering her potential in a new discipline. 

Although her background in combat sports gave her a useful foundation, boxing presented its own challenge. Lehane was entering an unfamiliar world, with plenty still to learn. 

That learning curve quickly became part of the appeal. Within months of starting, she had her first competitive fight. By January 2020, she was representing her club internationally in Sweden, competing in the elite B category. She returned home with gold. 

It was a defining moment. For the first time, she began to wonder just how far the sport might take her.

 

 

“How far could I really go into the sport?” she remembers thinking. 

Then, just as her boxing journey was gathering momentum, the world came to a standstill. The Covid-19 pandemic brought competitions to a halt, forcing athletes everywhere to adapt. For Lehane, it meant a pause in the competitive opportunities that had fuelled her early progress. 

But the ambition never went away. She continued training, returning to outdoor sessions when restrictions allowed and resuming work with her coach.

In November 2021, her persistence paid off when she won her first National Elite Championships. It was a breakthrough that helped open the door to the next stage of her career. She began training with the national team at the High-Performance Unit, gaining experience against international opposition and gradually moving towards a dream that had once seemed a distant possibility: Olympic qualification. 

By 2023, the journey to Paris was officially underway. 

There were three opportunities to secure a place at the Games. The first came at the European Games in 2023, where Lehane won two fights before losing in the qualifying bout. The next opportunity arrived the following March, but she lost her opening fight. 

For an athlete who had invested so much in the Olympic dream, the setbacks were difficult to process. Doubt began to creep in, and the pressure she placed on herself threatened to overshadow the enjoyment that had first drawn her to boxing. 

“I definitely experienced a lot of doubt in my mind whether I could really do this,” she admits. “I put a lot of pressure on myself during this time and forgot to enjoy the journey.” 

With just one final opportunity remaining, Lehane travelled to Bangkok in June 2024 for the last Olympic qualifying tournament. This time, she approached the challenge differently. Rather than allowing the weight of expectation to consume her, she made a conscious decision to enjoy the experience, regardless of the result. 

The change in mindset proved crucial.

After a positive training camp in Thailand. Lehane entered the tournament to give herself the best possible chance. She won her first three fights, defeating opponents from Puerto Rico, Ukraine and Hungary to secure her place at the Paris Olympics. 

The final victory, against Hungary, was the moment everything changed. 

After the second round, Lehane returned to her corner and was told she had won the round. The possibility of qualification began to sink in, but she knew the fight was not over. 

“In the back of my head I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, did I just qualify for the Olympics?’” she says. “But I had to stay concentrated for the remaining three minutes because it’s boxing- anything can happen.” 

Lehane held her focus and secured the win. The emotion that followed was immediate. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been as emotional as I was during this time. The tears started crying straight away and I ran back to hug my coaches.” 

Back home, her family had gathered to watch the livestream alongside her boyfriend, Shane. As soon as she could, Lehane FaceTimed him to share the news. 

“It was just mayhem over the phone, everyone just cheering,” she recalled. 

There was little time to dwell on the achievement. With less than two months between qualification in Bangkok and the opening of the Paris Games, the celebrations had to give way to preparation. The highs of Thailand were followed by the challenge of refocusing, training and getting ready to compete on the Olympic stage.

For Lehane, however, simply arriving in Paris was an extraordinary experience. 

“Being in the village was an amazing experience, surrounded by the best athletes from all sports from across the world,” she said. “The atmosphere was incredible.” 

Her Olympic campaign brought a difficult draw, matching her against a Chinese boxer who would ultimately become the Olympic gold medallist. Although Lehane’s tournament ended in the opening round, the experience left her with memories that extended far beyond the result. 

For Lehane, the significance of reaching the Olympics cannot be measured by a single fight. The achievement represented years of commitment, the willingness to change direction, the resilience to continue after disappointment and the support of those around her. 

Now, with the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 on the horizon, Lehane is already looking towards the future. Time, she acknowledges, is moving quickly, and the prospect of another Olympic campaign brings a fresh set of challenges and opportunities.