KATIE TAYLOR WILL win at least a bronze medal at London 2012 after victory in her first ever Olympic boxing fight.
The four-time world champion, competing in the women’s lightweight 60kg category, saw off the Team GB’s Natasha Jonas by a score of 26-15 at a packed ExCel Arena this afternoon.
Taylor was 5-2 up after the first round but Jonas drew the second round 5-5 before Taylor took control in the third round with a 9-4 win.
Advertisement
Speaking to RTE Sport and our man Will Downing afterwards, she said: ”Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll be Olympic champion. That’s what I came here for.
I’m going for a gold medal and nothing else. I’m just concentrating now on my next fight. No one’s ever happy with a bronze medal.
“The first week was okay but the last few days have dragged in. I’ve been waiting for this all my life so a couple more days didn’t make a difference.
“I just tried to stay calm and collected. I knew the support would be great but I didn’t realise how great it would be. It was hard not to get excited with that crowd. I definitely had more support than the girl from GB. It was incredible really. ”
Her father and coach Peter said: “It was unbelievable. We did the same as we always do with any tournament whether it’s in Bray or the world championships. They’re the same nerves to tell you the truth.
“She experienced that kind of ovation when she boxed in the O2, which was a great experience that stood to her. Hopefully everyone’s here for the next bout and we get the same support.”
Opponent Jonas added: “I’m going to make no excuses whatsoever. Katie Taylor was the best boxer on the day. I was the fittest and healthiest I’ve been all year and she still beat me so I take my hat off to her.”
After John Joe Nevin booked his place in the men’s bantamweight semi-final yesterday, it means Ireland are now guaranteed two medals at these Games.
I have to say, not only are the Irish athletes a credit to themselves and the country but the supporters are equally so. Im not an overly sporty person generally but the support Ireland has shown to to Irish athletes in Poland and now London is just outstanding! I couldn’t be prouder to see Katie win by a large margin to the chanting of a predominantly Irish crowd.
We not come away with a huge amount of medals but you can be damn sure what we do get will mean more to us then many countries who are taking them in. More to the point I can be sure the Entire team will come home to the adulation of a beaming Irish public. Love being Irish.
So proud of you Katie, my first time to see you fight, you were just the business. As a mum of three little ladies, you are some role model, thank you from all of us. :)))
Nice as it is to get some boxing medals, i would far prefer Ireland to win some blue ribbon medals on the track or in the pool, Re the Ole is it only me that finds it Cringe worthy and jaded at this stage
With all due respect “wat u would prefer is not very relevant ” We can’t have the Sonia’s and Roonie’s all the time!
We have a small country and personally IM VERY PROUD OF ALL OUR ATHLETES , if they win or not!
the hard work, commitment, personal sacrifices Are very much to be desired!
People should really start getting more involved and not being so cynical !
Go the boxers all the way
Oh sorry forgot to also reply Re OLE: you must be the only Irish person cringing! It’s almost as good as our national anthem! It will never die out!
Even the BBC spoke highly of it!!!!
Give me boxing over the blue ribbon events, a medal no lesser than track and field – go Katie, John Jo, and the rest of the boxing team. A credit to Ireland.
Not often do I get a lump in my throat watching a sporting event but when she did that pumped up “come on” after the fight I felt like crying with pride. I too have not seen her box before but I will make a point of doing it from now on. Well done Katie Taylor.
anyone stuck abroad or rte player not working, there is the european broadcast union stream of all the Olympics – http://www.eurovisionsports.tv/
was able to watch the fight as no Irish radio channels had it and geolocked on rte. and you can rewind to start of fight and watch again (on channel 7).
tried rte radio player and just got something called liveline, thought it was a joke.
Great performance our other athletes could learn from Katie she is not there to make excuses or just to take part she is there to win.I believe in Katie’s mind only gold is acceptable we could do with more like her and the other boxers.
Must be the dumbest comment I’ve ever seen here! Yea sure Longshaw it’s all about fighting, nothing at all to do with fitness, skill, commitment and tactics. What do you think these women boxers do anyway? Pull each others hair, clobber each other with handbags and high heels? They’re athletes you fool, same as male boxers. Hope you enjoy the ballroom dancing if they ever allow it in the Olympics…
Katie is a four times world champion yet the gym she is training in doesn’t have a ladies toilet, she has to go down the road to a local pub. I guess all the politicians & dignitaries will be waiting to be photographed with her when she arrives back with her medal. What chance have we got to compete competively when we don’t get the basics right.
So proud of this young woman I hope she can crown a wonderful career with a gold medal.
A local meat farmer paid for toilets in her club. The same week a 2million euro leisure centre was approved…where? COUNTY MAYO!!! They’ll be jumping all over her..if i was her id tell them to foxtrot Oscar.
There was big pressure for years to build an expensive 50 metre pool – now we have them and no improvement. Can’t believe a world class athlete has been treated so badly in her country.
Katie oh Katie, you were awsom in the ring to day, instead of keeping the best opponents until last,we just saw the peoples final to day, & the English girl you fought was a great opponent. All I can say is we saw the very best womens boxing match to day, it was worthy enough to be called the final!.. Well done again Katie!
Adam!
Yes admittedly these country’s have much the same statistics are our wonderful country , and fair play to them for doing so well but we should be grateful for what we have!!!
These countries are excelling in areas where Ireland has no expertise, facilities , support, competition etc
Then maybe there lies the answer, we should all invest more time and effort for the next generation that will hopefully attend RIO 2016! Then we may excel in the medals table but for now WELL DONE KATIE TAYLOR !
Fantastic Katie Taylor! That fight was no walkover. Jonas fought very well and was probably unlucky to be in Katie’s half of the draw. So proud of Katie and the amazing Irish support in the venue. Go, Katie, go!!
Yeah Elrat why ??????????? Well done Katie fabulous performance. From all your DUBLIN fans we are sooooooo proud of you. Roll on Wednesday :) you will do it again. Congrats xx❤❤
What a fight. I felt every punch thown – unreal. First time in my life that my nerves nearly killed me – this is what sporting competition at the top level is all about. Thank you Katie Taylor.
'I feel the time is right' - Grand National winning jockey Rachael Blackmore retires
Updated
32 mins ago
2
column
Clones and Croke Park get us in the guts, the feels, the heart, the soul
Declan Bogue
39 mins ago
0
some people are on the pitch
Marinakis ‘proud’ of Forest manager Nuno despite pitch confrontation
Updated
20 hrs ago
26
Sign in or create a free account
To continue reading create a free account
Or sign into an existing account
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 187 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.Privacy Policy
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 126 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 165 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 129 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 91 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 92 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 44 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 41 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 150 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 69 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 88 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 95 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 40 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 56 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 29 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 107 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 111 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 79 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 60 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 100 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 83 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
Pride. Well done Katie.
Great fight against a superb opponent! Well done Katie!
Jonas can consider herself unfortunate – she could easily have made the final if she was in the other side of the draw.
First time I’ve seen her fight, brilliant!! Shes great!
First time I’ve seen her too. She’s better then some of the men that have been fighting.
She’s a superstar
Great stuff. Well done
Well done katie you did us all proud and what a great opponent the Irish supporters were great
EXCELLENT!
Well done Katie. Watched from Thailand on skype. No matter what happens I will be in tears
There’s not even a man out there who’d beat katie Taylor. if she was a man she’d be wbc, wbo, wba, ibf, and ring lightweight champion of the world.
Wow, good girl and well deserved!
Well done Katie, so proud!
Fantastic stuff! Katie is amazing to watch! You go girl!
She is a true inspiration, well done to possibly the best Irish sportsperson ever!!!
A hard earned but comprehensive win by the magnificent Katie. Amazing athlete. Bring home the gold. It’s just what you deserve.
Our absolutest true Superstar of Ireland
Well done Katie. Done us proud.
What a fantastic performance. Well done to all involved.
Well done Katie, time for a statue for this Woman!
Well done Katie Taylor, the whole country is so proud of you and what brilliant support she attracts brilliant well done also to Pete excellent coach
Amazing, amazing. Never seen an Irish sportsperson like her.
Well done Katie. Two medals now
Great win but only a third of the job done
Peerless.
Fantastic and deserved
Living legend.
That was a brilliant fight and Katie was unreal. The fans were amazing, getting all emotional I was:D
me too!
between telly problems and rte live player not working missed the whole thing!! :( roll on the semi finals!!!! GWAAAAN THE KATIE!
Abi – do whatever you have to to see the semi! The fight was class and the noise of the Irish in there was just insane!
im hoping work will be showing it! if not late lunch in the nearest place with a telly will be a definite!
What a deadly boxer she is :) we are all proud of you Katie!! Well done girl!!!
Well done Katie, superb performance
Well done Katie! :D
“Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll be Olympic champion. That’s what I came here for.”
That’s awesome. We could do with a lot more of that kind of fighting spirit. Well done Katie!
Legend.
I have to say, not only are the Irish athletes a credit to themselves and the country but the supporters are equally so. Im not an overly sporty person generally but the support Ireland has shown to to Irish athletes in Poland and now London is just outstanding! I couldn’t be prouder to see Katie win by a large margin to the chanting of a predominantly Irish crowd.
We not come away with a huge amount of medals but you can be damn sure what we do get will mean more to us then many countries who are taking them in. More to the point I can be sure the Entire team will come home to the adulation of a beaming Irish public. Love being Irish.
Sorry, raking them in I meant. Damn phone.
Excellent stuff – well done Katie!
Brilliant performance! I have a new respect for amateur boxers, both women and men. It’s all about the skill, rather than brawling.
I’m really looking forward to being in the Excel on Wednesday. I hope we’ll give Katie a loud, boistrous send off to the final.
So proud of you Katie, my first time to see you fight, you were just the business. As a mum of three little ladies, you are some role model, thank you from all of us. :)))
Thank God she’s not from Dublin !
Why?
Nice as it is to get some boxing medals, i would far prefer Ireland to win some blue ribbon medals on the track or in the pool, Re the Ole is it only me that finds it Cringe worthy and jaded at this stage
yes,its just you!!
With all due respect “wat u would prefer is not very relevant ” We can’t have the Sonia’s and Roonie’s all the time!
We have a small country and personally IM VERY PROUD OF ALL OUR ATHLETES , if they win or not!
the hard work, commitment, personal sacrifices Are very much to be desired!
People should really start getting more involved and not being so cynical !
Go the boxers all the way
Oh sorry forgot to also reply Re OLE: you must be the only Irish person cringing! It’s almost as good as our national anthem! It will never die out!
Even the BBC spoke highly of it!!!!
Anita, FYI New Zealand & Denmark with similar populations to Ireland have 7 & 8 medals respectively as of now
Boxing is a blue ribbon sport!
Give me boxing over the blue ribbon events, a medal no lesser than track and field – go Katie, John Jo, and the rest of the boxing team. A credit to Ireland.
Get a life charlie, if you cant sing your heart out after a moment like that your emotionally crippled mate
Not often do I get a lump in my throat watching a sporting event but when she did that pumped up “come on” after the fight I felt like crying with pride. I too have not seen her box before but I will make a point of doing it from now on. Well done Katie Taylor.
well done Katie, missed the fight, but glad to hear of the win
Stunning performance against a very good opponent, what an athlete, go go go Katie!
anyone stuck abroad or rte player not working, there is the european broadcast union stream of all the Olympics – http://www.eurovisionsports.tv/
was able to watch the fight as no Irish radio channels had it and geolocked on rte. and you can rewind to start of fight and watch again (on channel 7).
tried rte radio player and just got something called liveline, thought it was a joke.
oh, and well done Katie!
Thanks for the link, had to follow the match on “join in” , brilliant Katie !
Also try an free app called FilmOn. All BBC channels are on it. Works on 3G if you change your settings. Well done Katie.
The first bit looked great but Rteplayer crashed halfway through. Wonder if we can watch a replay of the fight anywhere?
bbc
well done Katie
Terrific.
Now that is “Girl Power” what a brilliant fight, congratulations Katie.
Great performance our other athletes could learn from Katie she is not there to make excuses or just to take part she is there to win.I believe in Katie’s mind only gold is acceptable we could do with more like her and the other boxers.
Sorry, missed the women fighting. Was too busy watching more respectable sports that have no basis in violence.
Like Judo? Fencing? Freestyle Wrestling? Taekwando? Shooting? Football? Pole Vaulting has its basis in war, do you condescendingly object to that?
It’s not about the violence. It’s about the skill.
Must be the dumbest comment I’ve ever seen here! Yea sure Longshaw it’s all about fighting, nothing at all to do with fitness, skill, commitment and tactics. What do you think these women boxers do anyway? Pull each others hair, clobber each other with handbags and high heels? They’re athletes you fool, same as male boxers. Hope you enjoy the ballroom dancing if they ever allow it in the Olympics…
Katy … ‘nuf said…! brilliant
Katie is a four times world champion yet the gym she is training in doesn’t have a ladies toilet, she has to go down the road to a local pub. I guess all the politicians & dignitaries will be waiting to be photographed with her when she arrives back with her medal. What chance have we got to compete competively when we don’t get the basics right.
So proud of this young woman I hope she can crown a wonderful career with a gold medal.
A local meat farmer paid for toilets in her club. The same week a 2million euro leisure centre was approved…where? COUNTY MAYO!!! They’ll be jumping all over her..if i was her id tell them to foxtrot Oscar.
There was big pressure for years to build an expensive 50 metre pool – now we have them and no improvement. Can’t believe a world class athlete has been treated so badly in her country.
Well done, Katie!! A great performance!
Normally don’t get emotional, but Jesus you’d have to fairly dead inside not to find her inspiring
Her performance in one word: spectacular!
Katie oh Katie, you were awsom in the ring to day, instead of keeping the best opponents until last,we just saw the peoples final to day, & the English girl you fought was a great opponent. All I can say is we saw the very best womens boxing match to day, it was worthy enough to be called the final!.. Well done again Katie!
Adam!
Yes admittedly these country’s have much the same statistics are our wonderful country , and fair play to them for doing so well but we should be grateful for what we have!!!
These countries are excelling in areas where Ireland has no expertise, facilities , support, competition etc
Then maybe there lies the answer, we should all invest more time and effort for the next generation that will hopefully attend RIO 2016! Then we may excel in the medals table but for now WELL DONE KATIE TAYLOR !
Well done Katie….
Fantastic Katie Taylor! That fight was no walkover. Jonas fought very well and was probably unlucky to be in Katie’s half of the draw. So proud of Katie and the amazing Irish support in the venue. Go, Katie, go!!
have to say Jimmy Corkhill. what an inspired retort. you’re talents are wasted.
*Your
She really is a credit to herself, family and country, a class act. well done Katy!
Loved it! Well done Katie, a worthy opponent was simply crushed, well done! Good girl yerself…
It was alright like get a grip she hasn’t won it yet
Well done Katie (and John Joe). Can someone explain how getting into the semi finals guarantees a bronze medal, as claimed here and on rte?
Both losing semi finalists in boxing get a bronze medal so it’s the least she or John joe will get
Yeah Elrat why ??????????? Well done Katie fabulous performance. From all your DUBLIN fans we are sooooooo proud of you. Roll on Wednesday :) you will do it again. Congrats xx❤❤
What a fight. I felt every punch thown – unreal. First time in my life that my nerves nearly killed me – this is what sporting competition at the top level is all about. Thank you Katie Taylor.