Two Olympians, two brothers, two medals.
Those words sum up succinctly and perfectly the McCormack twins, who have not only qualified for the Olympic Games but have done so in some style.
Pat McCormack delivered a warning to the world that he is primed to win gold in Japan by clinching the title at the Road to Tokyo European Olympic qualifying event in Paris, while brother Luke showed he is in the form of his life by taking bronze at Le Grand Dome.
It would appear that Pat is peaking at the right time after producing a masterclass in the welterweight showpiece, defeating Andrei Zamkovoi and avenging his unlucky World Championship final defeat in the process.
Back in 2019, the Russian clinched gold after a clash of heads ended the bout in round two in Ekaterinburg, leaving McCormack and his fans wondering what if … what if the contest had gone all the way.
This time in Villebon-Sur-Yvette it did go all the way and the irresistible McCormack was not going to be denied.
Round one was a cagey affair which split the five judges, three siding with the world number one and two with the 33-year-old southpaw.
Pat stepped it up in the middle session, delivering razor-sharp combinations and while his rival did register some quality blows they tended to be single shots.
Zamkovoi did open the final three minutes smartly but the Washington birthday boy upped the pace to such an extent that the world champion could not live with him.
A points victory was inevitable and all five officials went for the 26-year old, 30-27 (x2) and 29-28 (x3).
Pat required two wins in France to clinch his second Olympic vest, stopping Monaco’s Hugo Micallef 13 seconds from the end of the final round of his first bout before a unanimous points result over Eskerkhan Madiev in the quarters.
It set up a semi-final with Aidan Walsh, the Irish boxer he defeated in the 2018 Commonwealth Games final. Dominant Pat repeated that success with all five judges voting for the Birtley ABC star.
How nice it was to see Luke join his twin in Tokyo.
The lightweight needed just one win to qualify and he delivered by beating Turkey’s Tugrulhan Erdemir on a split decision.
He followed that up with a unanimous points verdict over the Netherlands Enrico Lacruz in the last eight before facing his old rival Sofiane Oumiha in the semis.
The Frenchman had inflicted three defeats from three contests with Luke and, sadly, the former world champion made it four here, but not without a huge fight.
McCormack scored superbly, including some cracking body shots but Oumiha found his range in the second and looked flashy in the last.
Luke lost on a split 28-29 (x3), 27-30, 29-28 but had proved in those nine minutes that he is world class and a contender for the podium in Tokyo.
Well done lads.
Words Roy Kelly Picture: GB Boxing
