Boxing:Paddy Barnes, Paddy Gallagher and team captain Eamonn O'Kane gave Northern Ireland their first Commonwealth Games boxing gold medals since 1994 after a memorable day at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi.
Barnes recorded an 8-4 points victory over defending champion, Jafet Uutoni from Namibia, while Gallagher pulled away in the final round to record an 11-6 win over England’s Callum Smith.
The best performance of the lot came from Derry middleweight O’Kane, who completely outclassed England’s Anthony Ogogo in a 16-4 win during the evening session.
O’Kane shaded the early up-close action, out-muscling Ogogo and digging in a pair of hard rights to edge into an early lead which Ogogo reduced to 2-1 by the end of the first round.
The untidy action continued into round two with O’Kane banging in two more rights to extend his lead to 4-1. O’Kane bossed the second part of the round with two looping rights helping him move 8-1 in front.
Predictably Ogogo threw caution to the wind in the final round but only succeeded in leaving himself open for the tight, powerful O’Kane to pick him off and increase his winning margin.
In a record medal haul for Northern Ireland at the games there was also silvers for light heavyweight Thomas McCarthy and heavyweight Steven Ward.
McCarthy, 19, lost out 8-1 to Scotland’s Callum Johnson, while Ward’s bout was stopped in the first round after England’s Simon Vallily could him with a superb left that sent him crashing to the canvas.
Barnes, the Olympic bronze medallist and reigning European champion, started the medal haul earlier in the day. He fell behind in a tight opener but a strong right hand levelled the bout before he stabbed out two more straight rights to hold a 3-1 lead after the first round.
Forced to press forward, the rangy Namibian could find no way through Barnes’ tight defence and the 23-year-old extended his lead with a clever right over the top before Uutoni dragged back the deficit to 4-2.
Uutoni then got through with a looping right towards the end of the round but nerveless Barnes went into the last with a 5-3 lead and calmly repelled most of Uutoni’s advances as the Holy Family club boxer eased his way to victory.
“It’s the first gold medal and hopefully it won’t be the last,” said Barnes after the bout.
“I rank this equal to the others. I’ve won the Olympic bronze medal and I’m the champion of Europe and the Commonwealth. And next year I’m going to be the champion of the world.”
Barnes’ Holy Family coach Gerry Storey said: “Deep down you know certain things are going to happen but you don’t shout about them beforehand. I knew all along that Paddy Barnes would go to Delhi and win the gold medal.
“He is a star, a wonderful young man with a brilliant personality. He is a role model and proof that with dedication anything can be achieved.”
Gallagher nudged ahead in the opening round against his much taller opponent but an accurate right by Smith brought him back level. Gallagher’s much busier work paid off when a series of right uppercuts put him 4-1 up at the end of the first.
Forced to abandon his game-plan and push forward, Smith looked awkward until he staged a dramatic recovery at the end of the second, landing a string of big left hooks to pull level at 5-5 heading into the last.
Gallagher went back in front only for Smith to reply with a long straight left and drag the score back level. But the Gleann fighter found another level and scored four unanswered points from right hands to claim gold.
"I am the Jackie Chan of boxing," said the fast-talking Ulsterman, sporting a big green hat as he responded to praise from reporters for his celebratory cartwheel.