COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES silver medalist Brett McGinty was given a hero’s welcome home to St Johnston last night.
McGinty, who turned 17 on Sunday, jetted back from Samoa, where he won a silver medal thanks to wins over New Zealand’s Ryan Scaife and Australian’s Jack Gipp.
McGinty was narrowly beaten by Mohammed Harris Akbar in Thursday’s 69kgs final.
While disappointed not to return with the gold nugget, bringing a silver back to Mongavlin represented a proud night for the Oakleaf ABC prospect.
Picture caption: Brett McGinty, with his parents, Kate and Dessie, and brothers, Shane and Jonny.
The throngs of people who turned out at the McGinty household last night outlined the magnitude of the achievement.
“It’s absolutely brilliant and it means the world to me,” McGinty told Donegal Sport Hub.
“All the hard work in getting the medal is great, but this makes it sweeter.
“The homecoming when I won bronze at the European Schoolboys (2012) was a bit of a shock, but tonight is in a different league.
“It’s a great feeling. There was a lot of pressure on me over selection. I had to prove it to myself that I deserved to be there and I had to prove it to people back home as well.
“I was very disappointed that I didn’t get gold, but I live to fight another day.
“Gold was all I wanted from day one. A wee bit of slackness in the second round cost me.”
McGinty, who was unwell in the days leading up to the Games in Apia, had unanimous decision wins over Scaife and Gipp before falling to Akbar.
Next year, McGinty will turn his mind to European and World Championships.
Listen to the full interview below …
https://soundcloud.com/donegalsporthub-club-notes/brett-mcginty-homecoming-from-commonwealth-youth-games
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