Carruth’s famous celebration. Credit: ©INPHO/James Meehan

MICHAEL CARRUTH BECAME the first Irish boxer to win an Olympic gold during the Games of 1992.

The Dublin welterweight had come up short four years previous, losing to Sweden’s George Scott, but returned a wiser boxer and, along with Wayne Cullough, completed Ireland’s medal haul in Barcelona.

After a first round bye, the 24-year-old saw off American Samoan Mikeale Masoe, Germany’s Andreas Otto and Akhom Chenglai of Thailand before meeting highly-regarded and well-fancied Cuban fighter Juan Hernandez.

All square going into the final round, Carruth stuck to the game plan to pull off a 13-10 victory and cement his name among the country’s sporting greats. He is also famous for the celebration which followed – jumping wildly around the ring after the referee had raised his arm.

This is his how he remembers it…

Barcelona was my second Olympic games. I had made a dog’s dinner out of my first one in Seoul (in 1988) and got the preparations wrong.

I was 21 at the time and it didn’t go well. I just got caught up with the whole atmosphere that goes with it.

The lights came on and I got distracted. I learned not to be a supporter and to forget about getting pictures with sports stars and famous people.

Four years later, it was off to Barcelona. I’d just got married and my dad was my coach so I roomed with him. They called him my mentor, but I called him my tormentor because I couldn’t get away with anything.

He was always afraid I’d get dehydrated and would wake me up in the middle of the night to drink water. But that’s how I won those Games – having him there.

In the final, the second round was controversial. I picked up a public warning which meant my opponent was given three points. Fortunately enough they showed us the scoreboards and we were tied at 8-8.

I said to me da and Nicolas the coach that I’d go at him - I’ll trap him in the corner, I’ll bite him, I’ll do anything to keep him there. But they said ‘No, you’re doing well… go backwards’. That was the plan – to go backwards.

It’s a bit dangerous to do that and let a 6ft 3in Cuban come onto you for another three minutes. He was getting verbal abuse in his corner about not getting near this little fella.

In the first 30 seconds of that last round, I won the Olympics because he walked onto three lovely punches. I knew then it was a matter of just staying with him. If he hit me, I was to get one back.

It was a long three minutes but I knew when the bell that I’d won.

Then you have flashbacks to (Irish Olympic silver medallist) Fred Tiedte, who should have had a gold medal in ’56. Fred didn’t get the luck – he should’ve been the first Irish boxer to get the privilege of gold. I did get the luck.

Believe it or not, you even rehearse the celebration beforehand and I had said if I win then I’m going to go down and bless myself like Ronnie (Delany) had done.

But what actually happened has been described as being like a gymnast in pain!

YouTube credit: jimbojimjimbo

(Carruth quotes from interviews with TheScore and Terrace Talk)

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