WHILE Jennifer Lehane faced the glare of television cameras further along the walkway, Zaur Antia made a beeline for waiting journalists on his way backstage.
“This girl,” said the Georgian, leaning over the partition fence animatedly, “only box two years. Two years. She has big, big future.”
The moments after defeat on a stage like this are always raw, emotions flying up and down and off the walls around.
Lehane let out a few tears following Tuesday’s unanimous decision loss to Yuan Chang but there wasn’t the same sense of wild frustration that followed Grainne Walsh’s gut-wrenching exit days earlier. Or the shock when Tokyo bronze medallist Aidan Walsh fell at the first hurdle.
The taller Chang, for her part, put on a southpaw clinic, showing why she is a two-time Asian Games champion by dictating terms early on, edging a nip and tuck first round before going on the offensive in the second to take total control.
There is no shame whatsoever in coming out the wrong side against an opponent of that class.
But, in Lehane’s case, there is a bigger picture that shouldn’t escape from view.
This is why Antia was so eager to frame the Meath woman’s exit in another way, because it is only in recent years that Lehane has forced her way into high performance thinking.
Of all the Irish boxers in Paris, her trajectory has seen the steepest rise during recent times – emerging from relative unknown, to rank outsider, to Olympic hopeful, to Olympian.
It has been a remarkable journey and, at 25, time remains on her side; any imposter syndrome once felt long banished to the margins as Lehane proved it is on this stage that she belongs.
“I definitely did today - I am really proud of myself for getting here.
“It was a tough year last year coming to close to qualifying [in Poland] this time last year, then losing in the first round in Milan in the first World qualifier. Coming back and taking that final chance [in Bangkok] I can say I deserved the right to be here and I am proud of that.
“I felt I carried out the tactics well that we went through in the fight analysis last night but think I came up just a bit short against a very experienced boxer.
“I was fast-tracked to the Olympic stage. I’ve come on so much, even in the last year I’ve improved so much, I’m just excited to see what Jenny Lehane will be like in a few years’ time.”
Those words will be music to the ears of Antia and the rest of the Irish coaching staff.
Lehane, a former underage Taekwondo star, had taken time away from her teaching career to pursue an Olympic dream that few expected would be realised at start of this process.
But, rather than return to the classroom any time soon, Lehane insists the boxing ring is where she belongs.
“To be honest I’ve been enjoying being a full-time athlete, so there’ll be plenty more kids to teach in the future. I think I’ll be sticking at it for a little while now.
“In saying that I love the teaching, I’ll be looking forward to a few days subbing here and there if they’ll have me back after this.”
Huge support made their way over from Ashbourne in recent days, raucously chanting Lehane’s name as she entered the North Paris Arena. The noise, the colour, it was like nothing she had ever experienced before.
“It was just incredible, to come out to such a huge crowd, I’ve never fought before as many people before in my life and in such an amazing venue. “All my crazy family were there. They all came over to support me here and I’m so grateful. At the end of the day that’s everything to me. the people in my home town of Ashbourne and the school I worked in, St Mary’s, where I know the kids were looking up to me.
“I hope I have been able to inspire a few more to follow their dream.”
For now, though, the dreams of future Jennifer Lehanes hang in the balance as the power struggle at the top of the sport leaves it on the brink of being absent at Los Angeles 2028.
This experience, though, has only emboldened Lehane’s belief that the Olympics is the only show in town for boxers the world over.
“The Olympics is the end goal, the pinnacle of the sport, to be on the biggest stage on the planet.
“It would be a shame now if it wasn’t included in the future Olympics, so fingers crossed things get tidied up and we can continue to pursue that dream.”
RUNNING ORDER
Wednesday, July 31
57kg last 32: J Gallagher v C Paalam (Phillipines) – 1.30pm
60kg quarter-final: K Harrington v A Valdes Pana (Colombia) – 4.54pm
75kg last 16: A O’Rourke v E Wojcik (Poland) – 7.52pm
Thursday, August 1
51kg last 16: D Moorehouse v W Lkhadiri (France) – 6pm
92kg: J Marley v D Boltaev (Tajikistan) – 9.08pm
Friday, August 2
57kg last 16: M Walsh v SK Staneva (Bulgaria) – 1.46pm
