All that glisters is not gold

KENNETH EGAN stepped off the Olympic podium with silver, but the 26-year-old Dubliner was left with bittersweet feelings after losing 11-7 to the Chinese champion, Xiaoping Zhang, on a decision that had “hometown” emblazoned all over it.

And when he strolled through the mixed zone seeking out familiar faces who would latch on to his every word and on to the huge conference room and the mandatory press conference where the medallists are expected to bare their very souls, he left a trail of mystery and suspicion behind him, as those who had witnessed the fight for the gold medal were left wondering how the computer compiles the scores of the five judges who decide the outcome of such confrontations.

This was a classic contest and nobody would dare to suggest that the Irishman, boxing out of the red corner, turned in anything less than a gold medal winning performance.