KENNY Egan found comfort in a silver lining as he accepted China's win and Xiaoping Zhang's gold medal at the Worker's Gymnasium on Sunday. Egan lost the light-heavyweight final by four points, 11 to 7, but it was the erratic nature of the scoring that hurt the huge Irish crowd at the venue the most.

Matters came to a head at the end of the third round of four when Egan landed the punch that would have tied the fight at six points apiece, but incredibly the judges gave the point to Zhang.

Trailing by two points going into the final round, there was no way Egan was going to beat China and the judges all on his own.

He didn't, but he still found solace from within after an heroic Olympics for the Irish boxers as Paddy Barnes and Darren Sutherland took home bronze medals.

"I am the best light heavyweight on the planet, put that in big bold writing," said Egan, even if the result suggested he was second best at an Olympics that was barren, medal-wise, in every other sport for the Irish.

"I'm disgusted but that's how things go, that's sport," added Egan. "There has to be a loser. He's Olympic champion, I'm not. That's sport. I'm as sick as a pig, but what can you do?

"The whole arse has fallen out on me now. I know an Olympic silver medalist is brilliant but I really thought I had the beating of that guy.

"Deep down in my heart of hearts I feel I won the fight but that is sport at the end of the day. I wouldn't say it was cheating. I'd just say the scoring was unfair. That's all.

"An Olympic medal is rare so I'll have to go home happy, but right now I am heartbroken."

Egan hinted afterwards that he will resist any offers to turn pro.

"It has been a great Olympics for the Irish team and hopefully some of those kids will be around for London and more medals in 2012," said Egan.

"Who knows, I may be with them as captain. I have signed nothing in regards to my future. I am only looking forward to a well earned rest with my girlfriend and family."

Egan found an unlikely ally as Britain's Olympic bronze medalist Tony Jeffries claimed the Dubliner was robbed of the light-heavyweight gold medal.

Jeffries, who scored just three points against Egan in Friday night's semifinal, couldn't believe that winner Xiaoping Zhang took 11 points off the Irish captain.

"Kenny Egan should be walking out of here with the gold medal and I really feel for him," said Jeffries.

Ireland finished joint 62nd on the medals table at the Beijing Olympics, ending up level with Austria and Serbia and just behind Nigeria.

All three medals -- one silver and two bronze -- came from the boxers. Boxing has now accounted for 12 of Ireland's 23 Olympic medals.

Cragg Bitter

ALISTAIR Cragg launched a bitter attack on the RTE critics and cross country legend John Treacy after he thought he had failed to qualify for the 5000 meter final.

Cragg was so convinced that his sixth place finish in his 5000 meter heat wasn't good enough to make Saturday night's final that he collapsed in tears on the track.

It later emerged that his time of 13.38.57 was good enough to get him through as a fastest loser, but he failed to finish the final as a hamstring injury forced him out after six laps.

"I am just frustrated that people would rather look at our faults than help us out," blasted Cragg as Derval O'Rourke, David Gillick and Eileen O'Keefe all failed to make their expected impact in China.

"We have so much history and so much background in the sport but it's stuck in the seventies and eighties and hasn't looked beyond.

"I mean when last did an Irish person actually run to their ability in a major championship?

"It's a different sport now. I respect John Treacy as an athlete but honestly it's a different sport today. I don't know how he'd do in world cross country now.

"He was a great athlete of his time, he was a proven champion, but why don't we use that brain to help us in what is obviously a new era?"

Barnes Bronze

FOR once Paddy Barnes didn't put his foot in it as he picked up his light flyweight bronze medal in Beijing on Sunday then admitted: "I just need to grow up."

Barnes made headlines across the world when he claimed that the judges who awarded him "nul points" against China's Shiming Zou on Friday night should "kill themselves."

The 20-year-old from Belfast was more circumspect as he stood on the podium alongside eventual gold medal winner Zou.

"I feel great now after a bad two days there," admitted Barnes. "After the fight I said a few things in the heat of the moment and some people back home just jumped at the chance to ridicule me.

"As soon as I got out of the ring there was a camera and a microphone stuck in my face and I reacted. Some people back home probably do understand but others jump at the chance to ridicule you so they do.

"I just need to grow up so I do to be honest with you but at the end of the day it is still a bronze."

The European Championships in Liverpool will be next up for Barnes after a holiday, but for now he is going to relish his medal.

"I hope I will be even prouder in four years time when I get the gold medal in London. That's what I want now."

Doped Horse

IRELAND'S hopes of an Olympic gold medal in showjumping were lynched for the second time in four years after another Irish horse failed a dope test.

Tipperary-born Denis Lynch and his horse Lantinus were thrown out of the games in disgrace along with three other riders at the Hong Kong finals.

The latest dismissal came just four years after Cian O'Connor was stripped of the gold medal in Athens when his horse Waterford Crystal also tested positive for a banned substance.

The German-based Lynch was informed of his ban for a doping offence just hours before he was due to compete as one of the favorites for the gold.

The Irish rider claimed he had done no wrong despite a positive A sample result for the chilli pepper derivative Capsaicin. Showjumping could now be removed from the Olympic roster.

"I'm shattered, I can't really say anymore," said a clearly distressed Lynch. "We came here as we have nothing to hide and have done nothing wrong."

Sutherland's Bronze

IRISH Olympic boxer Darren Sutherland had to endure a three hour doping nightmare after his Beijing exit.

Sutherland was sent for a mandatory doping test after his middleweight semifinal defeat to England's James Degale.

But it took the Dubliner a full three hours to produce a urine sample for the testers.

"I was so dehydrated after the fight that I just couldn't produce," Sutherland told reporters at the Worker's Gymnasium.

Sutherland received his bronze medal on Saturday before flying home with the Irish team on Tuesday.

"It was be proudest day of my life when I stood up there on that podium," said Suther-land.

"They didn't play the Irish national anthem unfortunately but I was humming it in my head.

All-Ireland Team

IRISH Olympic bosses want to enter an All-Ireland team into the qualifiers for the 2012 Olympics in London and the FAI and IFA may have no choice but to agree.

A spokesman for the Olympic Council of Ireland confirmed to Star Sunday that they will seek an All-Ireland entry for the next Olympics.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is in favor of the idea and is also keen on a Great Britain team involving players from England, Scotland and Wales.