The Christ-We're-Getting-Greedy-Now Blog - Irish at the Olympics: Day 14

After Katie Taylor's heroics on Thursday - as well as Cian O'Connor's bronze Wednesday, and the medals guaranteed in the ring since Sunday - the air of pessimism and acceptance of mediocrity that defined the early stages of these Games was well and truly banished, replaced by hopes, nay, expectations, of success.

Though Andrzej Jezierski (right) - one of the Jezierskis of the Booreenmanna Road, no doubt - is a former world champion, his best days are most likely behind him, and his hopes of reaching the final of the Men's C1 was ended in Eton Dorney with a 4th place finish in his semi final. The best part of 10 hours later, the 4x400 women were on dry land, but no more successful, the team of Marian Heffernan, Joanne Cuddihy, Jessie Barr and Michelle Carey finishing well behind the pace, sixth in their heat.

So, it was the boxing ring that once again held the hopes of the nation, and John Joe Nevin (left) didn't disappoint. Quick, slick, and basing his fight around a truly phenomenal right hand, a superb performance against the reigning world champion Lazaro Alvarez Estrada saw Nevin progress to tomorrow's final. The Cuban southpaw had absolutely no answer to the clever approach adopted by the Mullingar man, who triumphed by a score of 19-14. He will now face the man who beat him in last years Worlds, Team GB's Luke Campbell, in what should be a cracking final.

It was a much needed win too, after the heartbreak just a few minutes before Nevin took the ring. Paddy Barnes, a bronze medallist from Beijing, will have another bronze to add to his collection, though it could so easily have been more. Against the formidable Zou Shiming, Barnes fought like a lion, tying the fight 15-15 on the scorecards, before a countback separated the fighters by one solitary point, 45-44. Barnes found out the hard way that one of life's golden rules continues to ring true - you always end up with a little more Chinese than you can manage.

And after a few hours to catch our breaths, in came Barnes' roommate, Michael Conlon (right), to attempt to join Nevin as a finalist. Against another Cuban southpaw, Robeisy Ramirez, Conlon was probably hard-done by in trailing by 4 points after the opening two sessions. In a despairing final round, Conlon turned his back and was made to pay, a standing count the final nail in the coffin as his journey ended with a 20-10 defeat. To say Conlon's bronze was a disappointment seems insane, but that tells you something about both Conlon, and the success of our nation in the squared circle.

Nevin carries the flag tomorrow. 3 Olympic medallists will watch from the outside - the gold of Taylor a glinting reminder of what is at stake.