Michael Conlan is one of our brightest international stars and he broke new ground last night by becoming the first Irish male boxer to win a gold medal at the world championships.
The 23-year-old Belfast bantamweight, who captained the Ireland team in the tournament at Doha in Qatar, came through a thrilling final to gain a decisive success on points.
He already holds the Commonwealth and European titles and will now go forward to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with considerable confidence.
Irish boxing has a proud tradition and there will be enormous celebrations if one of the greatest prizes in sport finds it way to the Falls Road next summer.
