‘I’m just gutted, I was so close to the gold medal’

NICOLE Bannon put in a spirited effort in the Women’s Light Contact 60kg semi-final, but was ultimately beaten by Italy’s Luna Mendy 2-1, to exit these European Games with a bronze medal.

In a mostly equal opening round Bannon was favoured by one judge and up 1-0.

By the end of the second the Tallaght Martial Arts member was down 2-1.

Both fighters dug deep in the last round to try and carve out the win, but it was the Italian who came out on top.

Speaking after the fight Nicole said: “That was a very close fight, tit for tat, really.

“I’m just gutted, I was so close to the gold medal, but not this time.

“We actually can’t see the scores for the contact, so I’m looking for my coaches to see if I’m up or down, that’s just the game, someone has to lose.”

She continued; “The first round I think I was up, came out strong.

“The second one could have been a draw, I got a good few head kicks, the last round was tit for tat.

“It can all change, you can get a warning, an exit point, a minus point of three judges, it can literally change in a split second.”

Bannon had huge family support in the arena at the weekend, including sister Shauna, who has recently become only the second Irish female fighter to join the UFC.

“She (Shauna) is great, she warms me up and she gets my head right, because I can struggle with my head sometimes, and she can get me in the good frame of mind.

“She’s my number one supporter, I’d be lost without her.

“I told her, if I’m looking at you, tell me what to do, tell me if I’m up or down.

“I’ve a lot of trust in her, and she’s been through this before and knows how it goes”.

Reflecting on her European Games Bannon, who has competed in the sport since she was eight years old said: “This has been amazing, great for the sport.

“I was over in Australia, and I came home just for these Games because we are making history in kickboxing, it’s so great for the sport.

“It’s exciting, and we are looking forward to the next one.”

Tallaght’s Jodie Brown came close to the 70KG Point-Fighting final. Read the full story HERE.

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