Northern Ireland’s very own powerhouse, Keeva Neely, has smashed her way into the Gladiators semi-finals after a heart-stopping display of strength, speed, and determination on Saturday night. The 23-year-old gym owner from Swatragh, Co Derry, took charge from the get-go, proving far too strong for her quarter-final rival, Rachel Bruno, daughter of boxing legend Frank Bruno.
Kicking off with Duel, Keeva was out to redeem herself after a disqualification in the heats. Facing off against the formidable Fury, who had a height advantage, Keeva stood her ground. Fury came out swinging, landing some powerful blows, but Keeva wasn’t fazed. She found her rhythm, landing a flurry of hits before an unexpected twist when her helmet dislodged. The referee paused the event before restarting, and Keeva powered through to secure 5 crucial points.
Next up was Unleash, a high-speed chase where contenders must evade an unknown Gladiator to keep their back tag intact. Keeva faced elite sprinter Fire, but an unfortunate stumble at the wall gave Fire the perfect opening to snatch her tag, leaving Keeva with zero points in the event.
Keeva was fired up heading into The Ring, where she faced off against the relentless Sabre. She wasted no time, scoring two quick points before battling through Sabre’s iron grip. Meanwhile, Rachel scored 6 points against Dynamite, but Keeva wasn’t done yet. Despite Sabre hesitating to let go after the referee’s call, Keeva muscled her way to an extra 10 points, pushing her lead to 15-6.
Having previously been caught on The Wall during the heats, Keeva was determined not to make the same mistake. Facing Fire once again, she launched herself up the wall with lightning speed. A slight slip added some tension, but she recovered swiftly, dodging Fire’s final desperate grab to climb to victory and claim the full 10 points, stretching her lead to 25-6.
Keeva had unfinished business with The Edge after falling through a gap in the qualifiers. This time, she moved with precision, picking up 2 points before running into Diamond, who nearly lost her footing but used Keeva to regain balance, sending Keeva tumbling off. Rachel managed to score 4 points, but Keeva still held a commanding 27-10 lead heading into The Eliminator.
With an 8.5-second head start, Keeva launched herself into The Eliminator for the very first time after her previous opponent had withdrawn, giving her automatic qualification to the quarter-finals. Despite a slight wobble on the rope, she powered forward. The cargo net drained her energy, allowing Rachel to edge closer, but a quick glance back lit a fire within Keeva.
Flying down the zipline, she took a steady approach on the beam, surviving another small wobble before crushing the Travellator on her first attempt. With one final swing, Keeva soared through the finish, securing her place in the semi-finals in stunning fashion.
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