Epic journey to stardom for medal trio

This is a story of three journeys. One is the adventurous tale of a young girl whose prowess in a pair of boxing gloves helped gain her sport a place in the Olympic Games.

The second is the epic account of one man’s path towards redemption and the spectacular restoration of a shattered sporting life.

The third is that of a character from Belfast making Olympic history with the power of his fists and the pace of his feet.

Yesterday Katie Taylor, Cian O’Connor and Paddy Barnes awoke in London unsure what the day held in store for them. Today O’Connor is an Olympic bronze medallist; Taylor is one fight and eight minutes away from achieving gold while Barnes remains in the hunt to better his third in Beijing.

What is most amazing about Taylor is the superstar status she has gained outside of Ireland in the past fortnight. Even in the deep waters populated with Olympic greats, Katie Taylor isn’t out of her depth. She is comfortably swimming amongst the big fish. And in a country with such a strong boxing tradition, the Great British hosts are lining up to pay tribute to the Bray woman, a ball of perpetual motion in yesterday’s semi-final victory over Mavzuna Chorieva.

The former WBA and IBF light welterweight title holder Amir Khan, working as a boxing analyst here, heaped praise on Taylor last night. “She is an amazing fighter and puts great shots together. She is the best woman fighter I have seen at the Olympic Games.”

Another British boxing legend, Lennox Lewis was even more effusive in his praise: “Katie Taylor is a tremendous fighter. The way she throws punches and the aggression she throws them with, you can tell she’s got the killer instinct. I think the guys should be watching their backs, she could beat a lot of them out there.”

Clive Woodward knows a thing or two about success at the highest level. The former World Cup winning England coach is now employed as the British Olympic Association’s director of elite performance. He had heard plenty about Katie Taylor but yesterday was the first time he had seen her in the flesh. And he wasn’t disappointed.

“What an athlete? She is a superstar. Her feet, her punching, everything is so quick. I just loved to be here, it was a real privilege to be here. It is the first time I have seen her live. The speed of her footwork, the fitness and condition is amazing. When you see the girls behind the scenes they are incredible athletes and really, really fit. I am just pleased for women’s boxing to see them in the Olympic Games. Well done to all of them. I don’t think anyone will look back now.”

But Irish boxing success story didn’t end with Taylor. Seven hours later Barnes defeated India’s Devendro Singh Laishram to be assured of bronze in the light-flyweight division. But the win also puts him into the history books as the first Irish boxer to medal at consecutive Olympic Games.

All the while that Taylor’s drama was playing out, Cian O’Connor’s life was about to change for the second time. Eight years on from the scandal that rocked his life in Athens, O’Connor was back on an Olympic podium after a Hollywood blockbuster storyline to arrive here in London.

The script synopsis would read like this: Irish rider wins gold medal at Olympic Games; Irish rider is stripped of same gold medal; Irish rider emerges from the doldrums and receives sensational late call up to ride for his country at Olympics; Irish rider sneaks into final after injury to a horse; Irish rider wins bronze in a jump off.

But that is how it transpired. O’Connor and his horse Blue Loyd 12 came through clear in the morning’s first round, one of only six in the competition to achieve the feat. Again he jumped clear in the afternoon but was two hundredths of a second outside the allotted time and the fault incurred left him level with Holland’s Gerco Shorder with the pair locked in contention for glory.

But Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat swept in to sensationally claim gold leaving O’Connor and Schroder to jump-off for silver, with the Dutchman winning the individual duel.

But the placing didn’t seem to upset O’Connor unduly: “If someone told me a month ago, I would be getting a bronze medal I would have been accepting it with open arms. Someone asked me earlier on: you must be one of the greatest riders in the world. I don’t think I am one of the greatest riders in the world but I can produce on a big day. The reason I can produce on a big day is because I’m organised and focused.

“I told my wife on Tuesday night I was going to jump a good round and she said ‘dream on.’

“So many people have put a lot of work in for me to get here. It has been a wonderful journey.”