Irish Olympic boxing hero proves a big hit in Athlone
MUSIC World in Athlone"s Golden Island Shopping Centre was the place to be last Sunday, as Irish Olympic Games hero Kenny Egan visited the well known store. Egan, who memorably claimed a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in August, was visiting Music World to promote his newly released DVD "Kenny Egan - Back from Beijing". The light-heavyweight from Clondalkin, Dublin, went down well with the locals, too. Owner of Music World, Seamus Hayes, said: 'Kenny went down very well with everybody that visited the store on Sunday. He"s a lovely lad, very approachable, and gladly had time for everyone who wanted a picture with him. He was very good with our customers and it was a pleasure to have him at the store.' Kenny told Seamus that he plans to return to training next week, but has not yet decided on whether to turn professional or stay amateur. "Kenny Egan - Back from Beijing" is available at Music World, Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone, and is described by Seamus Hayes as the 'ideal stocking filler' for Christmas. At the 2008 Olympics, Egan defeated Julius Jackson from The Virgin Islands in the round of 32. In the round of 16, he defeated Bahram Muzzafer, the Turkish boxer, before overcoming Washington Silva in the quarter-final. This third victory guaranteed Egan and Ireland a medal, the third medal secured following Paddy Barnes and Darren Sutherland"s advancement to the semi-finals. Egan then beat Tony Jeffries, the British boxer, in the semi-final but lost - somewhat controversially - to China"s Xiaoping Zhang in the Olympic Final Gold Medal match in Beijing on Sunday, August 24. The 26-year-old has not been far from the headlines since returning from Beijing, often appearing on the front and the entertainment pages of many of Ireland"s leading tabloids, as well as the back pages. The 6ft 2' boxer has been linked to a host of top professional boxing promoters since returning from China and is expected to turn professional in the near future.