OLYMPICS:KENNY EGAN was eight and still he claims with a big grin "in nappies" when he saw Michael Carruth win gold in Barcelona. He decided there and then to embark on the long march which led him yesterday to the Workers' Gymnasium in Beijing and a quarter-final bout with the Brazilian Washington Silva.

"It's amazing," he said after a comfortable 8-0 defeat of an opponent who appeared primarily concerned with not getting hurt.

"I'm on top of the world. I have finally reached the goal, the podium at the Olympic games."

And he did it in style, his defensive work and judgment of distance keeping him safe from any threat all the way through. "I thought I didn't set a foot wrong from the first to the last bell. I'm just delighted to be through."

It has been a long and winding road from Neilstown to the medal podium at an Olympic Games.

Boxing is a sport which forgives very little. Egan, who has been national senior champion in his division for an astonishing eight years in succession, failed narrowly to qualify for Athens four years ago, shed his tears and came back and restructured his training.

He went to the World Championships in October last year expecting as much as hoping for Olympic qualification. it came down to beating the Croat Marijo Sivolija for a seat on the plane to China.

They were tied going into the fourth and final round. Egan lost by 17-9 - an astonishing collapse given the alacrity of his defence. He literally had nothing left to give at the end.

On to Pescara in Italy in the new year. Same old story. It came down to one last shot in Athens in April. Egan had been on the road non-stop since the previous August seeking qualification and then the sun shone.

He beat Athens champion Gottlieb Weiss in the semi-final to ensure a place in Beijing and with the pressure lifting like a cloud went on to take gold in the tournament beating Sweden's Kennedy Katende 15-10 in the final.

Once he got to an Olympic Games he always fancied himself to do well.

"I said to myself if I got here I'd win a medal but I didn't want to be bragging. Having said that, I have a hundred euro with Boylesports at six to one for me to get a medal. So I'll be collecting that when I go home."

Which piece of free advertising for the bookmakers who sponsor Sunderland in the Premier League puts paid to the wonderings of his semi-final opponent Tony Jefferies. The tough Englishman (who also writes pieces of doggerel to mark his wins and his romances) is a passionate Sunderland supporter whose dad could be heard wondering aloud yesterday who Niall Quinn and Roy Keane would be supporting on Friday!

Egan beat Jeffries comfortably in their only bout so far two months ago but was inclined to dismiss the significance of that yesterday.

"It's a clean slate. We'll go one round at a time. He pulled out after the third with a cut last time and he was behind on points so I suppose he will be the one with a doubt in his head. It's an advantage going in but it's a new slate. We'll go in and it it'll be head down, arse up, go for it!"

Egan commented that when he failed to qualify in Chicago last October there were some questions floating around about the High Performance Programme in place for Irish boxers. However yesterday should have put an end to any doubts about the value which boxing represents to Irish sport.

The gym at the National Stadium on the South Circular Road got a revamp worth €120,000 last year. The programme also benefited from €600,000 per year (for the entire programme) from the Irish Sports Council.

That finance was spread across 52 boxers, at different age levels and included female champion Katie Taylor as well. It paid for a full sports science and medical programme, strength conditioning work, a part-time nutritionist, physios etc.

"A lot of credit too has to go to the Irish Sports Council," said national team coach Billy Walsh. "They stuck with Kenny when he fell out of eligibility for high performance grant aid and he came back and won a bronze at the European championships. Now here he is."

And meanwhile what will Egan be spending that €600 he is due to collect from Boylesports on?

He pauses and then like Father Jack on Craggy Island roars "Drink!"

And quickly looking at a smiling Walsh he added, "Ah no. I don't drink. I'll buy drink for Billy Walsh! Watch him drink it."

Could be worth televising.