Irish Amateur Swimming Association the national championship held in 1990 at the Guinness Pool. By the turn of the millennium Ireland still did not have an Olympic-sized pool placing any swimmer training here at an enormous disadvantage at international competition. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta Michelle Smith became Ireland's first Olympic medalist in swimming - winning three golds and a bronze. A shadow was cast over these medals when subsequently in 1998 she was banned for 4 years from the sport for tampering with a urine sample using alcohol, during a mandatory out of competition test. In the late 1990s various abuse
Michelle Sutcliffe decision over ten rounds in South Korea. Kim was lucky not to be Tko'd by Michelle in the later rounds, but with all her vast experience hung on to the end. Michelle also went on to win the IFBA World title crown in Leeds at the Irish center on 17 May 2001 - knocking out the Bulgarian champion Maria Ivanova in round 5. After a knockout win, Michelle challenged and went up a weight division against Daisy Lang on 29 October 2001 for Lang's WIBF world Jr. Bantamweight title, in Germany. Sutcliffe lost by a seven-round technical decision when the