It’s safe to say Belfast boxer Mick Conlan had an Olympics to forget at Rio in 2016.
The super Bantamweight had high hopes of adding to the silver medal he received at the London 2012 Olympics, only to controversially lose out at the quarter final stage to Russian Vladamir Nikitin.
His reaction to that was beamed around the world, as he accused the amateur officials at the tournament of corruption. He was sanctioned for that, and for supposedly placing bets on boxing events at the games.
But he now reveals things could have got a whole lot worse in Brazil.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 16: Vladimir Nikitin (R) of Russia fights Michael John Conlan of Ireland in the boxing Men's Bantam (56kg) Quarterfinal 1 on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro on August 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Conlan said: “I ended up moving out of the [Olympic] village to stay in an apartment with my mom, my dad, and my fiancée.
“Me and my dad had to go back to the village to get things. We were heading back in the taxi and we had this gun pulled on us.
“This taxi driver was driving like an absolute asshole and this guy pulled us over and pointed a gun straight through the window — a big Desert Eagle — right at his [the driver’s] face.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 16: Vladimir Nikitin (L) of Russia celebrates his victory over Michael John Conlan of Ireland in the boxing Men's Bantam (56kg) Quarterfinal 1 on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro on August 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)“I looked at my father, he was across the car from me and he said ‘don’t move, stay calm’.”
Thankfully, Conlan, his father, and the driver, all lived to tell the tale. And he revealed he was still more preoccupied with his Olympic woe for the true danger to hit home.
Speaking to ESPN, he said: “I was in a mood anyway. My dreams had already been shattered. My only dream as an amateur boxer was to be an Olympic champion and I had that dream stolen from me.”
See More: Boxing, Michael Conlan, Rio Olympics 2016
