Dean Clancy distraught after losing first Olympic bout to split decision

The raw emotion was written all over the 23-year-old as he emerged into the mixed zone with the sweat and the adrenalin still pumping.

DEJECTION: Ireland’s Dean Clancy speaks to the media after the fight. Pic: Ryan Byrne, Inpho

Distractions are everywhere at the Olympic Games. The build-up, the expectation, the Village: it all goes into a pot that can bubble over long before an athlete stands on a track or climbs into a ring.

Dean Clancy’s Olympic debut was mere minutes away when the giant screens here in Villepinte switched to a marriage proposal in the bleachers. She said yes, they hugged, the crowd went wild.