Down to Business – Dean Clancy ready for the serious side of the Olympics
Dean Clancy says it will be business as usual once he steps into the North Paris Arena in Paris tomorrow.
The Sean McDermott Boxing Club man is the first Irish fighter through the ropes at the latest installment of the Games.
The Sligo native makes his Olympic debut against Jordanian Obada Al-Kasbeh on Saturday afternoon.
The 22-year-old and the team have been in the Olympic Village since Monday and Clancy admits he has been enjoying what is a surreal experience, although the Youth Olympian-turned-Olympian assures it’s strictly business come fight time tomorrow.
“I had to pinch myself when I was waking up in Olympic Village, it’s amazing. It’s a surreal moment, it’s been a long time waiting, and to finally be here, I’m really excited,” he said speaking to RTE.
“I have to remind myself to be grateful to be in the position I’m in. We’ve trained our whole life to get here. I’m just soaking it all up and staying focused and taking it one fight at a time.
“I went to Buenos Aires for the Youth Olympics, I have an idea about this whole atmosphere of different sports and stuff, but it’s just amazing. It is really surreal.
While he has been enjoying the experience of being an Olympian and basking in the event feel around the village, Clancy will take a ring is a ring and a fight is a fight approach going into his Round of 32 clash.
“That is kind of the way I’ve always looked at most tournaments,” he explained.
“I think we’re always in a ring and we’re always fighting someone, whether that’s sparring or competition or whatever it is.”So I’m just going to look at it as a normal tournament and not putting too much pressure on myself.
“Then it’s just going to fight. I’ve been boxing and fighting my whole life, so that’s the kind of the way I want to look at it.
“Regardless of the lights and the noise, get in there and take one round and one fight at a time. You get the gameplan off coaches for whoever we’re fighting against and just implement that and go out there and for me have fun,” he adds before pointing out he is picking up all he can from those with Olympic experience.
“There’s no better people to have around us than likes of Kellie [Harrington] , Aidan [Walsh], Michaela [Walsh] and Aoife [O’Rourke].”They’re just perfect examples of high-performance athletes and they’ve been there and done that and any advice I can get off them [is very worthwhile].”I’m only 22 myself so it’s great to be surrounded by people like that, that have been there and dealt with it and been in this atmosphere and this experience and this setting before.”
