AIRPORT SECURITY lined up to protect Katie Taylor as she arrived at Dublin airport yesterday, but the world boxing champion could probably handle herself if an eager fan made a lunge at her.
About 100 people gathered around the arrivals area to cheer on the world champion lightweight boxer from Bray.
Her brother Lee led the crowd with " Olé Olé Olé" as she came through the sliding doors to a hero's welcome after her victory in Barbados. "There's only one Katie Taylor!" chanted supporters as she signed autographs for children.
“It’s lovely. I can’t believe the amount of people that turned out today,” she said. “The reception I’ve got here is absolutely amazing. I’m just delighted really, delighted to be home.”
So what do you do after winning the world championship for the third time, as well as scooping the boxer of the tournament award?
“I’ve a few weeks off now, thank God, so I’m just going to enjoy the rest,” she said. “For the moment I’m not going to think about boxing for a few weeks. I’m just going to enjoy my rest and catch up with my friends and family.”
Minister for Sport Mary Hanafin was at the airport to congratulate the winner, and stood in a boxer’s pose with her.
“Our time has arrived,” the Minister said, her fist in the air. Was she perhaps alluding to the possible Fianna Fáil leadership challenge? It wasn’t the time to ask. “I think it’s a women’s year,” Hanafin continued, only adding to the speculation.
She said the win was “fabulous” for Taylor, for Irish boxing and for women. “There’s no doubt Katie is one of our best ever sports stars, male and female, and the fact that she has for the third time a world championship puts her up in the league there with the very, very best.”
Olympic silver medallist Kenny Egan also turned up to support the champion and waited patiently to shake her hand as people queued up to be photographed with her.
“I’m so proud of her, she’s just an amazing athlete and hopefully now she’ll go to London and do the business in two years’ time with me, please God,” he said.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the two of us, especially Katie being the world champion.”
Pauline and Jimmy Howe from Ballybrack don’t know the boxer personally but said they felt compelled to go to the airport to welcome her home. “As a woman I’m so proud of her,” said Pauline. “She’s really achieved a huge amount because women don’t get that much help,” her husband added.
While winning is nothing new to the lightweight champion, she said these championships were the hardest yet, particularly the bruising semi-final against US boxer Queen Underwood. That, though, made the victory even sweeter. “It was just the best two weeks of my life, I think,” she said.
