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| Wednesday, 03 September 2008 | |
 The mother of South Dublin’s newest hero and Olympic boxing silver medallist Ken Egan said his outstanding performance in Beijing was beyond her wildest dreams.Around 2,000 people welcomed the 26-year-old Olympic light heavyweight runner up and his mother Maura who arrived at their home in Clondalkin on an open top bus last week. On Sunday, August 24, Irish Olympic boxing skipper Egan won a silver medal at the Workers' Gymnasium in Beijing after his light-heavyweight final against 26-year-old local fighter Zhang Xiaoping. Speaking to Southside People the following day, Maura said: “The whole thing is brilliant. It hasn’t sunk in yet and I cannot think straight anymore. It is great that we have them all home safe. “We all got the bus to the airport to bring him home,” she added. “The police gave us an escort all the way until Liffey Valley and then we put him on an open top bus and stopped off at the Neilstown Boxing Club. “Then we headed down to the village and back up to Boomers where there were thousands waiting for him. “He is in shock over the whole thing. It hasn’t even registered with him yet. He can’t believe it.” Maura spoke of the pride she felt for her son and the modesty and grace he has exhibited since he came agonizingly close to winning gold in Beijing. “He told me he didn’t get the gold but I said it didn’t matter. “It’s not because you got the silver medal in Beijing, I told him, it was also because of the way he carried himself. He is a gentleman. “He is such a great ambassador for children in sport,” she added. “All his life he’s been like that. He always looked after other kids. Last night he was worried that the kids there might get hurt.” Many people who tuned into RTE to watch Egan ease through his first few fights to go through to the final have been impressed by the composure he exhibited both inside and outside the ring. “He is a very laid back person, he doesn’t ever let things get to him,” Maura explained. “We came home last night and had a cup of tea and some toast. We had a house full for breakfast this morning. All my sons were back from Beijing and we had 25 for breakfast.” Kenny Egan still lives with his mother and father in the family home in Clondalkin. Maura said it was a refuge for him. “He’s been with boxers all his life,” she explained. “We don’t discuss boxing in this house. He comes back here to get a break from it. Even when I rang him in Beijing we didn’t talk about the boxing. “It’s like a fairytale,” Maura reflected. “He is off next week for a week’s holidays and I am off when he comes back. I can tell you I need a week’s holidays at this stage.” During the games, Egan said he had first dreamt of going to the Olympics when he was just eight-years-old while watching Michael Carruth win the gold medal in the welterweight division in Barcelona in 1992. “He had a dream when he was eight years of age that he wanted to go to the Olympics,” Maura revealed. “When he qualified, I said to him ‘go follow your dream’ and this thing has now gone beyond his wildest dreams.” |
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I have no sympathy for him. If he wants to own a dog, ...
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Developed by Kevin Flynn