BRETT MCGINTY LEAVES today for the 2016 European Youth Championships in Russia – and makes no bones about it that he’s gunning for gold.
The 17-year-old St Johnston man was a European Schoolboy bronze medallist in 2012 and last year won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
This year’s European Youths are being held in Anapa, familiar territory for McGinty (pictured with his coach, Eugene O’Kane).
It was there, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, where he won that bronze four years ago and he was back there in 2014, where he suffered a controversial loss to Croatia’s Mladam Sobjeslavski in the last 16.
[adrotate group=”57″]The Oakleaf ABC welterweight could hardly be better equipped now.
Since winning silver at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, McGinty has won nine-from-nine.
Included in that sequence was his run to an Irish Under-18 title, which contained wins over former European kingpins Jordan Myers and Michael Nevin.
“I’m in good form so hopefully I can follow that on in these Championships,” McGinty, who could be in for a re-match with England’s Mohammed Harris-Akbar, his conqueror the Commonwealth final, says.
[adrotate group=”70″]“The preparation for me has been spot on.
“It’s a great opportunity for me. I missed out on them last year, but I’ve come back stronger and have had a great year.
“If you believe in yourself, which I do, you can do anything. I believe that, on my day, I can give anyone a fight. It came good for me in the All-Irelands.
[adrotate group=”57″]“I’m out to win gold and beat everyone in my way. Put it this way: whoever is standing across from me when I get into that ring is in for a tough fight.”
So well versed now is the seven-times Irish champion in these weeks that he has been named as the Irish team captain, the role conferred upon him by the Irish team manager, Stephen Connolly, last week.
Listen to the full interview below …
https://soundcloud.com/donegalsporthub-club-notes/brett-mcginty-ahead-of-2016-european-youth-championships
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