Sport

Eugene McKeever ready to grab his chance in Birmingham

Birmingham-bound Eugene McKeever and Amy Broadhurst pictured together at yesterday’s open workout in Jordanstown, ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games
Birmingham-bound Eugene McKeever and Amy Broadhurst pictured together at yesterday’s open workout in Jordanstown, ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games Birmingham-bound Eugene McKeever and Amy Broadhurst pictured together at yesterday’s open workout in Jordanstown, ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games

IT’S getting to the point where Eugene McKeever is almost forgetting what home looks like. Since the turn of the year it has been training camp after training camp, competition followed by competition as his Irish elite career cranks through the gears.

With Olympic bronze medallist Aidan Walsh at the top of the welterweight tree domestically in recent years, McKeever has had to bide his time for chances to strut his stuff on the international stage.

But now, at 24, the Mullaghbawn man feels like he is really coming into his own.

Last October McKeever claimed a first Irish elite crown in Dublin, followed a few months later by a third Ulster title in-a-row. A bit of tampering with the Commonwealth Games weight classes has forced him to come down a few kilos, to 67, with Walsh jumping up to 71 as 69 falls by the wayside.

“I don’t know, I’ll tell you when I step on these scales here,” he smiles when asked how the weight is going at the end of yesterday’s media workout.

“Ah it’s tight as always. You’re that bit older as well so you’re a bit heavier, but I’ll be grand.”

For the past 12 weeks, the campus at Jordanstown has been home. Just as Abbotstown was the base ahead of World and European Championship outings, as well as multi-nation tournaments in between.

In his absence, the bar he runs back home has been manned by a few helpful souls – “I’d be lost without them” – but McKeever is convinced it will all be worth it by the time he gets to Birmingham for his shot at the Commonwealth Games.

“Honestly, this camp has absolutely flown in.

“I thought it was going to drag, being up in Belfast, but it’s been brilliant. I’ve come off the back of a few Irish training camps, I only had a week or two in between, so it’s just taking all that experience and knowledge and carrying it on.

“It’s definitely a different experience for me, but we’re team-mates here, we try and keep each other sane whatever way we can, whether that’s cards, a bit of pool, kicking about with a football… plenty of Netflix. We’ve all supported each other.

“It’s been a long camp but we’re in the zone, we know we have a job to do - it’s only a couple of weeks sacrifice for a great result.”

The finishing touches are currently being put to preparation. Yesterday morning was a school of combat session inside the Ulster University sports hall.

Some prefer to keep their cards close to their chest rather than getting up close and personal with prospective opponents, but McKeever doesn’t feel he has anything to fear.

“I like getting in with them because you don’t have to show all your skills.

“You can box a different style or see where their weaknesses are, especially when you have good coaches who can review spars afterwards and give you useful information to carry through to the competition. And I like leaving a mark on them anyway…

“Every country brings different strengths to the table, but I believe in my ability. I feel like I’ve come on leaps and bounds here - I just want to try and take it all in now because opportunities like this don’t come around too often.”

ULSTER TEAM READY TO TAKE ON ITALIAN JOB

TWO former Commonwealth Games heroes are to lead the way as an Ulster High Performance youth and junior squad travels to Italy for a week-long training camp, beginning tomorrow.

Paddy Gallagher, a gold medallist at the 2010 Games in Delhi, and two-time Olympian Brendan Irvine - who landed silver at the last Commonwealths in Australia - are the team coaches, with Gary McGillion team manager.

Squad – 42kg: Scott Thompson (Sparta); 48kg: Jamie Graham (Clonard); 48kg: Brendan Walsh (Holy Family); 50kg: Sean Duke (Duke’s); 52kg: Daniel O’Neill (St John Bosco,Newry); 52kg: Aodhan Scott (Glengormley); 54kg: Charlie Mulligan (Cookstown); 57kg: Caoimhin Doherty (St Paul’s); 60kg: Johnny Doherty (Holy Trinity); 60kg: Shayne Quinn (St Paul’s); 66kg: Darragh Smyth (Clonard); 70kg: Jude Molyneaux (Holy Trinity); 75kg: Dylan McShane (St Paul’s); 80kg: Jack Wetherall (St Paul’s); 81+kg: Brandon McKelvie (Ledley Hall)