‘He gave it his all, it’s just a pity he didn’t get gold’

TEARS of pride tinged with disappointment streamed down the cheeks of the devoted fans of Irish boxing star Paddy Barnes as the little man in red bowed out of the Olympic light flyweight semi-final.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as the young Belfast boxing hero yesterday lost a nail-biting semi-final clash with Chinese gold medal favourite Zou Shiming.

Not once did Barnes’ devoted army of fans let nerves get the better of them as they chanted and cheered for the duration of the fight.

Hairs stood on the backs of the necks of those at Paddy’s local Belfast bar as they rose to their feet to salute their Olympic hero.

The carnival atmosphere at the Glenpark bar in north Belfast was overwhelming as hundreds of Paddy’s friends and family members watched the Holy Family boxer fight his way to an Olympic bronze medal.

The chants and cheers remained deafening throughout the fight, even when defeat loomed near.

The 21-year-old’s heart and courage in the Olympic ring was reflected in his fans, who sat almost 9,500km away from Beijing putting everything they had into spurring Paddy on into the light flyweight final.

In the end it was not to be as the heartbroken supporters of the north Belfast sensation turned to each other for hugs of support and comfort.

Oblivious to the bittersweet end to Paddy’s debut Olympic campaign was his eight-month-old cousin, Eoin, who sat on his mum Aine’s knee, dressed in a miniature Paddy Barnes T-shirt.

Surrounded by loyal fans sporting T-shirts emblazoned with a group shot of the Irish boxing team, little Eoin was completely unaware of the pride and disappointment which filled the room.

But as Paddy left the Beijing ring defeated, his supporters back home refused to give up.

“He’ll be back and he will get that gold medal he deserves,” said Paddy’s uncle Conor Barnes.

“We are just so proud of what he has achieved, of everything he has worked so hard to get and we can’t wait to get him home and give him the hero’s welcome he deserves.

“Every kid in Ireland is looking up to him right now and no better man and if the conditions are right he’ll be back in four years’ time.”

At 81, Paddy’s granny, Phyllis, is arguably the boxer’s biggest fan.

Holding back tears, she admitted she couldn’t wait to welcome her “hero” back home.

“My boy did us proud out there, he boxed well, he gave it his all and it’s just a pity he didn’t get gold,” she said.

“All I want to do is hug him and congratulate him and throw him a big party and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”