Conlan: “My reaction was a bit wild but it was my true emotions”
A “heartbroken” Mick Conlan has explained that his reaction to his Olympic quarter final loss yesterday was his “true emotions.”
The Belfast bantamweight was farcically adjudged to have lost his bronze medal-guaranteeing bout to Russian Vladimir Nikitin yesterday afternoon in Rio.
Following the baffling unanimous defeat, Conlan roared at the ringside judges while giving them the middle finger, before calling the AIBA “f*cking cheats” in an RTÉ interview.
Additionally Conlan noted how “amateur boxing stinks, from the core right to the top.”
The three judges whose 28-29 scorecards were counted were Brazilian Jones Kennedy Silva Da Rosario, Sri Lankan Bandara Talik Udoni Kiridena, and Pole Mariusz Gorny.
While he was by no means apologising, the 24 year old posted the following message on social media to clarify his actions, explaining that “my reaction was a bit wild but it was my true emotions.”
“How can I stay quiet and take it on the chin when I have dedicated 18 years of my life for the one goal of being an Olympic Champion, to have that ripped away from me like it was is devastating!”
“I would like to thank everyone who has been supporting throughout my career so far and throughout these games, you have all been amazing I truly appreciate everything!”
