County's best shine in London
Published 2 Aug 2012 09:26
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Pictured above is Josh with sister Finch and girlfriend Danielle Murphy after his winning bout.
Three talented East Lothian athletes kicked off the greatest adventure of their lives at the weekend as they experienced their first taste of the Olympic Games.
Josh Taylor, Joanne Morgan and Rose Anderson all made their Games debuts at London 2012 and all still remain in the hunt for Olympic glory.
And boxer Taylor, 21, was today (Thursday) to carry the hopes of the county in what promised to be a riveting last-16 clash with former world champion Domenico Valentino.
Taylor had been handed a difficult draw in the round of 32 in the lightweight division, taking on dangerous Brazilian Robson Conceicao on Sunday evening.
But a packed and partisan ExCeL roared on the Prestonpans man and were rewarded with a confident and impressive display of boxing.
The South American started the better but Taylor soon pegged him back to lead 3-2 at the end of the first round. He then dominated the second to put himself in command at 9-6.
The Brazilian was forced to throw everything at Taylor in the final three minutes but strong defence and accurate counterpunching was the order of the day as the county competitor claimed a 13-9 victory.
After the fight he said: "This is the biggest support I have ever seen. It is amazing, especially when they are all cheering for you, that's the first time I have had that.
"It was good to get the ball rolling. I felt a bit tight and tense at first but I startedrelaxing and now I have got the next fight to come."
Taylor now faces Valentino, who he last fought in the European
Championships last year, with a close fight being edged 13-11 by the more experienced Italian.
But Taylor - who is currently looking for sponsors - described himself as a "100 per cent better boxer" than he was at that time.
Friend Craig Douglas told the Courier that Taylor was "relaxed, focused and looking forward to Thursday's fight".
Meanwhile, another Prestonpans athlete, Joanne Morgan, made history on Monday as she was part of the Great Britain women's volleyball team who picked up their first ever Olympic win.
The 28-year-old setter helped GB to a 3-2 victory over Algeria which kept them on track for making the quarter-finals, despite having earlier lost 3-0 to Russia on Saturday.
Morgan and co. faced Italy on Wednesday afternoon before closing with matches against the Dominican Republic today (Friday) and Japan on Sunday.The top four in each group make it to the quarter-finals.
And Meadowmill's Rose Anderson was another history maker on Saturday as she became the first Scottish woman ever to compete in the Olympics at basketball.
The 24-year-old was in action in both of GB's first two games in London, which ended in defeats to Australia and Canada.
After facing Russia on Wednesday afternoon they play France today (Friday) and then Brazil on Sunday. As with the volleyball team the top four will reach the quarter-finals.
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