Boxing: I KEN BE THE BEST; 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES.BOXING skipper skipper: see butterfly. skipper Any of some 3,000 lepidopteran species (family Hesperiidae) named for their fast (up to 20 mph, or 30 kph), darting flight. Ken Egan has bounced back from the disappointment of not qualifying for Athens Athens, city, Greece Athens (ăth`ĭnz), Gr. Athínai, city (1991 pop. 2,907,179; 1991 urban agglomeration pop. 3,072,922), capital of Greece, E central Greece, on the plain of Attica, between the Kifisós and to lead medal hopes for Ireland Ireland, Irish Eire (âr`ə) [to it are related the poetic Erin and perhaps the Latin Hibernia], island, 32,598 sq mi (84,429 sq km), second largest of the British Isles. in Beijing. Light heavweight Egan, 26, took stock of where his career was going after failing to reach the last Olympics Olympics Sports medicine An international competition among (traditionally) nonprofessional athletes trained in a particular summer or winter sport, which is held every 4 yrs in a selected city. See Paralympics, Special Olympics, World Medical Games. and decided that he wanted to give qualification for Beijing a go. The Dubliner, who will be cheered on in China by a group of 20 that includes his father, brothers and friends, won a European European emanating from or pertaining to Europe. European bat lyssavirus see lyssavirus. European beech tree fagussylvaticus. European blastomycosis see cryptococcosis. bronze medal in Plovdiv in 2006 to reach these Games. "I've been boxing for the last 17 or 18 years and I've had some ups and downs ups and downs pl.n. Alternating periods of good and bad fortune or spirits. ups and downs Noun, pl alternating periods of good and bad luck or high and low spirits ," admitted Egan. "I was in the same position four years ago when I was in the qualifiers and I didn't make it. "But I took a step back and decided to give the amateur High Performance programme another four years. "And here I am now, in Beijing. It's fantastic. "I suppose it's all about the draw but the key is to focus on the first round of the first match, take it from there and take it step by step and enjoy the whole experience "I am expecting just to give 110 per cent and if I can actually do that, I can get a medal. "But I'm not going to put pressure on myself. Once I can give 110 per cent in terms of level of performance, that's what it is about. GANG "There's a gang coming out of 20 lads, including my dad and brothers and friends. So it will be great to see them." Egan's older brother, Willie, brought him to Neilstown Boxing Club when he was just eight and he immediately developed a love for competing in the ring. Twice the national champion, the stylish Stylish is a free Mozilla extension that allows for the manipulation of web pages and XUL application user interfaces through the use of CSS or user styles available localy or from centralized web-site [1], which allows style sharing. southpaw also won through two rounds of the World Championships last year before losing to Croatian rival Marijo Sivolija. "I suppose it all started from the day my brother brought me to the club," reflected Egan. "It's a full time job. You train twice a day, six days a week, boxing is in your head all the time - it's just non-stop boxing. When you wake up it's the first thing you think about. "When you get to this level, that's what it is all about at the end of the day." Former gold medallist Michael Carruth Michael Carruth (born July 9, 1967) is a southpaw Irish Olympic boxer from Dublin who won the welterweight gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Olympic results 1988 (as a lightweight)
"I was only speaking to him before I left and he's a gas man," smiled Egan. "He said to me when I get over there to relax, it's a big experience but I should just enjoy it and go out there and do my best." CAPTION(S): TALENTED Egan is a top medal hope |
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