Sport

Gleann's Anthony Johnston hoping for more magic moments at Commonwealth Youth Games

Anthony Johnston putting the final touches to his preparation for the Commonwealth Youth Games at the Ulster High Performance unit in Jordanstown. Picture by Hugh Russell
Anthony Johnston putting the final touches to his preparation for the Commonwealth Youth Games at the Ulster High Performance unit in Jordanstown. Picture by Hugh Russell Anthony Johnston putting the final touches to his preparation for the Commonwealth Youth Games at the Ulster High Performance unit in Jordanstown. Picture by Hugh Russell

AS they began their descent towards Grand Bahama international airport, Anthony Johnston couldn’t resist the urge to whip out his phone and capture the magic moment from his window seat.

Crystal clear water, golden beaches as far as the eye could see. First impressions count, and Johnston had to pinch himself to believe what he was seeing.

This was what he has spent the past two years dreaming of. Too young to force himself into the reckoning for the last Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, the 2017 edition was always his next target.

Johnston had to prove his worth in the meantime and fulfilled his end of the bargain. He wasn’t at his best in the welterweight box-off against Michael Hennessy at the end of April, but did enough to have his hand raised.

“You have your good days and you have bad days, but you always have to find a way to win,” he says two months on.

Tomorrow, boxing gets under way at the impressive Queen Elizabeth sports centre in Nassau. Time to put all that training to good use after a month of intensive preparation under the watchful eye of Team NI head coach John Conlan.

A bronze medallist at the 2015 European Junior Championships in Lviv, Johnston is not short of experience on the international stage.

And he feels the whole team is ready to shine in the Bahamas.

“The camp went very well,” said the 17-year-old Gleann ace.

“I’m picking up something new every day. No matter who you are, how good you are, you’re always learning something new. Coming up to Jordanstown with John and Pete, everything’s going very well.

“I was following the boys the last time [in Samoa in 2015]. I was just a year too young but any links I could find to watch it online or anything, I did.

“I knew then I’d be old enough for the next one so that was always the aim.”

Indeed, it was only by chance that Johnston found himself lacing up gloves.

A decent centre-half with the St Oliver Plunkett soccer team, he fell into boxing after a ban left him sidelined.

“I got banned for missing a tournament when I was 12 or 13,” he explains.

“I’d always had an interest in boxing and then I joined after that and I’ve been at it ever since. I was only banned for a short while but in that time I just decided to give the boxing a go.

“Everything happens for a reason and this was meant to happen for me. Believe me, I’m a lot more talented at boxing than I was at football.”

Soccer’s loss was boxing’s gain and Johnston is hoping to follow the lead of the last Northern Ireland team that headed to the Commonwealth Youths.

Then, a talented crew including James McGivern, Aidan Walsh, Stephen McKenna, Tiernan Bradley and Brett McGinty returned home with three golds and two silver medals.

They have set the bar – and Johnston believes the class of 2017 are capable of another top drawer showing.

“John and Pete are brilliant for giving you advice and helping improve. They see stuff we don’t see. It’s scary the knowledge both of them have. The stuff they shout in to help you, it’s mad what they can pick out.

“I just can’t wait to get in the ring now. That’s what it’s all about. I really believe I’m going to win a gold medal over here, I really genuinely believe it.”

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Kane Tucker feels he can finish top of the podium at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Picture by Hugh Russell
Kane Tucker feels he can finish top of the podium at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Picture by Hugh Russell Kane Tucker feels he can finish top of the podium at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Picture by Hugh Russell
Kane Tucker feels he can finish top of the podium at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Picture by Hugh Russell
Kane Tucker feels he can finish top of the podium at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Picture by Hugh Russell Kane Tucker feels he can finish top of the podium at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Picture by Hugh Russell

BARRY McGuigan holds a special place in the hearts of many households across Ireland, but few more than the Tuckers.

A picture of a young Kane and Jake Tucker with McGuigan a few years back takes pride of place in the family’s Banbridge home, with dad Barry a long-time fan of the ‘Clones Cyclone’.

“We were about 12 or 13 – even younger maybe,” smiles Kane.

By that stage, the two boys had been well and truly snared by the boxing bug.

Trained by Barry – their dad, not McGuigan – from the age of six, both have progressed into top level amateur stars, and moved to the famed Holy Trinity club in Belfast two years ago.

Seventeen-year-old Kane has already made a huge impact at both domestic and international level, and travelled to the Bahamas with the Northern Ireland team last week for the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Indeed, he was in the middle of an intensive training camp at Jordanstown when McGuigan was last in town for the announcement of the Carl Frampton v Andres Gutierrez fight last month.

Barry and Jake made the trip to the Europa Hotel, where McGuigan passed on his best wishes to Kane ahead of his journey to the Bahamas.

“Ah, there’s a bit of pressure to go out and perform I suppose, but if I perform the way I can, I don’t think anyone can stop me out here,” says Tucker.

“I’ve been to maybe 10 multi-nations tournaments, two European Championships, but the Commonwealth Youth Games is the most high-profile.

“I haven’t been to anything like this before so it’ll be an amazing experience. We’ve all got the potential to win gold.”

Before leaving, Tucker got in some sparring with the likes of Caoimhin Hynes and European Games bronze medallist Sean McComb, so his preparation couldn’t be any better.

Though, from an early age, it is the competition with brother Jake that has driven both on.

“Oh yeah, we’d be competitive alright,” he laughed.

“If we were going out for a run, it would always be first one back wins, that sort of stuff. We both push each other on, so it can only be good for us.”

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Team NI with coach Pete Brady and physio Orla O'Rourke en route to the Bahamas
Team NI with coach Pete Brady and physio Orla O'Rourke en route to the Bahamas Team NI with coach Pete Brady and physio Orla O'Rourke en route to the Bahamas

TEAM HAS BEEN GIVEN EVERY CHANCE TO PERFORM SAYS COACH CONLAN

SOMETIMES a general needs to take his troops out of their comfort zone to find out what they’re really made of.

John Conlan has been around the block a few times, and has led Northern Ireland teams to a sackful of medals at the Commonwealth Games and the youth version two years ago.

Prior to that tournament in Samoa, Conlan took his team out to Russia for a two-week training camp. In austere conditions, travelling long distances by plane, train and automobile, it separated the men from the boys.

Six weeks before taking the 2017 team to the Bahamas, they travelled to Germany for a week to compete at the prestigious Black Forest Cup – and Conlan liked what he saw.

“This is their first experience of something on this scale, that’s why we took them to Germany, get them a little bit of exposure to boxing at international level, horrible food… they really bonded there,” said Conlan, who has named Errigal BC lightweight Dominic Bradley as team captain.

“They’ve had the best preparation, world class sparring, so they’ve been given every opportunity to go out and perform.

“There are powerhouses like India, England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Canada and then you have some really good African countries – a lot of Cuban coaches went out there about 15 years ago.

“So you take nothing for granted when you go to these tournaments.”