ADAM Nolan believes being an Olympic dark horse could help him becoming one of Ireland’s leading lights in London.

The Irish Nolan makes his Olympic debut against Ecuador’s Carlos Daniel Sanchez Estacio this evenin, but the Bray fighter hasn’t been afforded the same number of column inches as the likes of Katie Taylor, Paddy Barnes and others on the Irish team ahead of the Games.

However being the smallest blip on the radar has proved advantage for the police officer going into the final Olympic qualifier in Turkey earlier in the year and he hopes that will prove the same in London 2012.

Despite coming through on of the most difficult domestic weight categories and winning the welterweight senior Title there was little furore surrounding Nolan going into the final qualifier.
The Wexford man claims low expectations was an advantage and he managed not only to qualify for London but collected gold in Trabzon.

“I went out there in Trabzon with very little pressure and as Billy [Walsh] said concentrate on my performances and if they were good enough they’d get me through to the next stage so be it, and obviously they were,” he said. “Hopefully it will be the same in London. I just want to concentrate on my performances.”

Nolan also stressed emerging from a talent packed Irish welterweight division to claim the Senior Title has given him the confidence to believe he can compete at the top.

“I knew with the four fights here [in the National Stadium] at the Senior Championships that there weren’t tougher out there. The four guys I beat here were top class. I knew if I went out there and performed the same way I’d have a great chance, and luckily as each fight went on I improved and improved.”