Gold in Moscow; Gold in London?

Sandwiched in the middle of the unending World Cup coverage and the GAA championship, I hope I am not alone in feeling that accomplishments of the Irish boxing team in Moscow are not getting the coverage they deserve. The Irish team are coming home tonight with FIVE medals; one gold, one silver and three bronze. This meant that the Irish team grabbed second place on the medals table behind Russia with their seven golds, aided presumably by the sort of home field scoring that was seen at the Beijing Olympics. Particularly considering that there was only seven fighters on the Irish team, this is a phenomenal level of success.

Omens look particularly good for the 23 year old Paddy Barnes. Already an Olympic medallist at the tender age of 21, he should be coming into his prime come the London games in two years. Watching his final on RTE last night, the control and discipline he displayed in the biggest fight of his life so far tells me that this guy has that winning mentality, has the toughness and the tactical awareness to go all the way in London.

Darren O'Sullivan, a primary school teacher by day, found himself on the wrong end of a 16-7 defeat in his final. This score is a little unfair on O'Sullivan though. He was level with his opponent right up to the end of round 2, where a late flurry left him a little behind. He had to chase it in the third round, which left him vulnerable to his taller opponent; who used every extra inch of his reach to his benefit.

Team captain Kenneth Egan brought home a bronze. After his controversial silver in Beijing, I thought that his decision to remain amateur to fight in London was a mistake. After this showing, I am more convinced than ever. For Egan, anything that is not the gold medal in two years time will be a disappointment. He will be 30 when he fights in London which brings with it questions over his physical fitness. The guy is an absolute hero, and I hope to be in the crowd cheering him on to gold. I just hope this doesn't backfire horribly on him.

Of course, in London, women will be competing in the boxing arena for the first time. This means Katie Taylor gets to kick some ass. All in all, London should prove to be a happy hunting ground for the Irish boxing team.