IRELAND’S AIDAN WALSH has been presented with his bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games.
The Belfast boxer was forced to withdraw from his welterweight semi-final bout at the weekend due to injury. Walsh had been due to take on Pat McCormack of Great Britain on Sunday for a place in the final, though failed to recover from an ankle injury sustained in his quarter-final win over Mervin Clair on Friday. The 24-year-old appeared to sustain the injury while celebrating his victory in the ring.
Walsh made it to the presentation on crutches today, telling RTÉ Sport it was fractured.
While visibly disappointed at times, Walsh was all smiles for what was surely a bittersweet, though unforgettable, moment:
“That’s for all my family back home, my parents, my girlfriend,” he told RTÉ Sport.
“Everyone who has helped me get here; my coaches, high-performance coaches, sponsors, everyone behind the scenes. It’s unbelievable. Unbelievable.
“If someone told me I would be an Olympic medallist when I was a boy walking into a boxing club, I don’t know. It’s unbelievable. If I could cut this in half and share it with my sister [Michaela], I would.
“I just feel so lucky, blessed and grateful to even be standing here. I hope to God in the future I’m lucky enough to be able to do it again.”
#Boxing
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) August 3, 2021
“She’ll be sharing this medal with me. I would happily cut the ribbon in half, cut the medal in half and give it to her because she deserves so much” #TeamIreland’s @aidanwalsh997 on the support of sister & teammate @michaelaw57 - perfectly captured by @sportsfile 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/tFGXDKhDes
Aidan Walsh looks gutted. Gets a hug at the end of the ceremony from gold medallist Iglesias - hopefully they can throw down in Paris pic.twitter.com/jeOJfkn79u
— Kevin Byrne (@KevByrneBox) August 3, 2021
Gold medallist, Cuba’s Roniel Iglesias, embraced him at the end of the ceremony, having dominated McCormack in this morning’s decider.
Walsh’s medal brings Ireland’s tally to three, and adds to rowing gold and bronze — Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy crowned champions in the lightweight double sculls last week, and the Irish women’s four of Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty taking Ireland’s first medal in Tokyo.
Kellie Harrington is also guaranteed a medal, the colour unclear as her journey continues.
