HE MAY have just returned from Lviv with a bronze medal around his neck – but Anthony Johnston didn’t have too much time to celebrate after touching down in Dublin on Sunday morning.
With exams in the coming days – not to mention the ones he had to do during the training camp before the European Junior Championships in Ukraine – every day, for the time being at least, is a school day for the Gleann stylist.
That is the case between the ropes as well as, having only laced up gloves for the first time three years ago, the talented 16-year-old passed his first major international test with flying colours. Johnston was one of four medal winners on the 13-strong Irish team, and served notice of his ability early on when scoring a unanimous decision win over home favourite Yevheni Pavlowskyi in a tough middleweight contest.
Not that the De La Salle pupil’s success came as any surprise to Gleann head coach Paul Hyland.
“I fancied him for the gold once he had taken the favourite out, beating the Ukrainian in his own back yard,” said Hyland.
“Anto had some smashing performances along the way – he was probably the best performer up to the semi-final, when he just switched off a wee touch and he’s still kicking himself for it.”
Johnston suffered a split decision defeat to Germany’s Oronzo Birardi at the last four stage, but Hyland hopes he has given the Irish coaches food for thought for the future.
“The lack of experience cost him in the end, but he’ll learn from it,” added Hyland.
“When he’s at his best, there’s no-one in Ireland can beat him. The world’s his oyster now. If he’s given the chance, he will perform.
“This is the first time he’s really had a chance to show what he can do at this level. He’s been away with Ulster to the likes of the HSK Cup and won gold over there, but that’s not the same calibre as the Europeans. So he was going into the unknown a bit.
“He’s broken down the door now and hopefully he’ll get a fair crack of the whip to let him display his talents.”
One of the other Ulster fighters on the Irish team, Callum Bradley from the Sacred Heart club in Omagh, will also be looking to build on his first taste of the international stage with Ireland. Bradley lost out to Artur Szachbazian of the Czech Republic in the preliminary round in a fight that could have gone either way.
More disappointing for the Omagh teenager, though, was the fact that he had beaten the eventual 54kg winner at another international tournament with Ulster earlier in the year. Bradley got the better of home favourite Mandi Hassan Jallaw at the HSK Cup in Denmark – but it was the Dane who took the big one in Lviv last week, beating Bradley’s conqueror Szachbazian along the way to landing gold.
“It wasn’t to be unfortunately – he was very unlucky with the way the decision went in his fight,” said Bradley’s coach and father Neil.
“But it’s all about learning for Callum at this stage and he’ll get ready for the Cadet championships next month, as they are a qualifier for the World Championships.”
