Katie

On the 9th of August 2012 Katie Taylor rocked London's ExCeL arena by beating Sofya Ochigava to win an Olympic gold medal in the light division of women's boxing. Her victory attained courtesy of two vicious left hooks in the third round and a brutal 1-2-3 of punches in the final round. It was a joyous evening. All of Ireland watching on TV and an arena full of green roaring for her. That few seconds before her name was called had us in bits and we raised the roof when she dropped to her knees as the realisation of her win kicked in. It was fuckin mighty. Our Katie.

Before all that she was a young girl from Bray. Sports mad. Good at everything she tried. Disguising herself as a boy to enter boxing tournaments at a time when Women's boxing wasn't allowed in Ireland. Her preternatural speed and ability to put together hard combinations saw her rise rapidly until she reached the pinnacle of the amateur sport. Then a crushing blow almost ruined everything. A blow that came from the last place she expected. Her own corner.

I loved this, got pure emotional during it. It's a superb documentary, lovingly created from an abundance of archival footage and interviews with Katie herself who when she lets her guard (slightly) down comes across as far warmer and funnier than we've previously seen. It's great to get that bit of insight about her. Her drive, what makes her tick, how hurt she was by that infamous paternal betrayal that was splashed across Ireland's newspapers back in 2016. The Katie we see at pre-match press conferences always came across as rock hard, laser sighted on her goal, a woman who could not be swayed. Here we get a sense of the emotional damage that year wrought on her psyche and it will make your heart break for her. Unlike a lot of documentarians director Ross Whitaker doesn't feel the need to insert himself into the narrative and it's so much better as a result. He just shows us the story.

Happily the film doesn't delve into the minutiae of the split between her and her Da, it's touched on and that's it. The film is about her. His presence looms over proceedings but we only see and hear from him in old footage. There's no gory or sordid details dwelt upon. It happened and it broke her but she found the strength to come back and this for me was one of the greatest things about this watch. Even though it's a documentary it's structured like a boxing film. Her humble beginnings, her rise to fame, hitting the top before everything crumbles and then the slow rebuild, the strength, the force of will and that fierce determination to get back on top. Even when you know the outcome of the boxing footage you're watching you'll still be bobbing and weaving in your seat, cringing at the slow motion clatters she takes and resisting the urge to stand up and cheer at the outcome.

Her support system gets a good look in too. Her Mam Bridget, her sister Sarah, her brothers Lee and Peter, her new coach Ross Enamait. All of them so proud of her but in no way hiding their fear at what could happen as she enters the professional arena. There's a great scene in a Bray restaurant where she's eating with her oldest friends and they are at once so happy for her and at the same time keeping her down to earth with a bit of gentle ribbing. It's such an Irish moment, one we'll all recognise.

Go see this if it's on near you. It will give you a new found appreciation for one of our best ever sporting icons. She doesn't give everything away about herself though, parts of her are still a mystery but we get enough to ensure we'll cheer even louder the next time she's in the ring.