Lee gets into the swing of things

ANDY LEE got his first flavour of the Olympic atmosphere yesterday. And he enjoyed the experience immensely.

The Limerick man had an early morning session at the Olympic Training Venue in Dekeleia, close to the Athletes' Village, followed by a visit in the afternoon to the magnificent Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall.

"It was just to get him used to the place," coach Billy Walsh said. "It was a rehearsal, he had a visit to the changing room, the area where they put the gloves on and then an opportunity to get the smell of the ring.

"It is so very important to know where to go on the day ­ walk straight in, know where to go and be familiar with the surroundings."

The Wexford man who has been full time coach to Lee since the Limerick southpaw joined the High Performance Squad believes the 20-year-old is a real medal prospect.

"He is a very talented young man and has to be regarded as a medal favourite," he said. "But you look at the stats and you see that the average age of Olympic medallists is 26 and you think maybe Bejing will be his Olympics. But he is a very exceptional young man and he does not want to wait that long."

Because of later withdrawals, Lee may yet receive a bye to the second round in this afternoon's draw for the middleweight division.

Walsh feels that it may present a good omen.

"Michael Carruth had 28 in his weight and got a bye into the second round and then he went on to win the gold medal in Barcelona," he said. "But, once you get to an Olympic Games, you just can't wait to get into that ring so you could have mixed feelings on it. If he should get a bye he will have another full week before he goes into action and then he will be boxing practically every day. I think Andy would enjoy that type of a campaign.

"Every boxer likes to get straight into action. The first fight is always going to be the hardest because there are things you want to get out of your system. You have prepared really, really well, you are in top shape so you can't wait for your first fight ­ preferably a nice, handy draw. Bye or not, once you get into the competition, then you are happy."

The 25 boxers named on yesterday's schedule include all eight from the European qualifiers. Andy Lee qualified from the European championships in Pula last February where he took a bronze medal and he will rejoin the other medallists, Gaidarbek Gaidarbekov of Russia, Lukas Wilaschek from Germany and Javid Taghyiev from Azerbaijan. None will want to meet Lee early on in the tournament."He is a nightmare to fight," said Walsh. "He has a massive big wing span, he is a southpaw and that makes him awkward, he is technical and that makes you work. You have to figure him out."

But does Lee fear anyone?

"I don't see Andy looking at anyone in particular. All the big guns are here and he sparred a lot of them in France where 15 nations took part in the camp. It also provided us with a very good opportunity to take a look at some of the opposition and we are studying all that."

Walsh who boxed in Seoul in 1988 has been a spectacular success in his role managing the High Performance Squad. The Wexford man admits that his own Olympic experiences have helped him greatly. "My being through it all before was a big help with the preparations. I did a lot of soul searching when I was appointed. You can learn from the good things and you can learn from the mistakes. It may be 16 years ago, but I will never forget the mistakes I made."

And all is made easier by the willingness of his student.

"Andy has taken everything on board. He listens and he learns, and he is so adaptable. He is the complete athlete and, behind it all, he is also a very nice guy. Since joining the High Performance Squad he has done everything asked of him and he has done everything by the rules. Apart from myself, we had Michael Carruth on board to help with the preparations. He was in Seoul before going on to win the gold medal in Barcelona and he had a wealth of experience to impart."

Countries in the draw will be Ireland, Russia, Germany, Azerbaijan, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Turkey, Dominican Republic, Cuba, USA, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Philippines, China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Egypt, Cameroon, South Africa, Algeria and Tunisia.

Meanwhile, the first doping case in Athens involves a boxer. David Munyasia from Kenya has been banned from the Games after testing positive for cathine, a prohibited stimulant.