Katie Taylor guaranteed a medal at the Olympics by overcoming the serious challenge of Britain’s Natasha Jonas yesterday.  BBC coverage of the bout highlighted it as one of the highlights of the day and a fabulous advert for women’s boxing.
The roar of the Irish fans at the Excel Arena set a record for noise at London 2012 reaching within three decibels of the noise of a jet engine.  It beat the Veldorome and Mo Farah at the Olympic Stadium and adds another layer to the reputation of Irish sporting fans that reached a previous peak at the Euro’s.
Taylor now faces Mavzuna Chorieva of Tajikstan in the semi final.  She beat her 16-6 in the semi finals of the World Championships in China earlier this year and while nothing should be taken for granted, hopes are high that tickets for Thursday’s final will be the hottest Irish Olympic ticket since Michael Carruth 20 years ago.
The level of goodwill and engagement around the Olympic venues has been a joy to see over the duration of the Games and it would be great for Ireland to produce one of the genuine stars of a star studded show.