Aidan Walsh: Tokyo medallist confirms retirement from boxing

Perceptions sometimes mask reality and that can never be more accurate than in the case of an elite athlete.

For those looking on from the outside, Aidan Walsh seemed to be flying high when claiming Olympic bronze in 2021, but scratch the surface and the affable Belfast man was fighting a different battle.

The pressure of performing at the highest level in amateur boxing has brought some dark days, so announcing his retirement on Monday “hasn’t been difficult at all”, saying he is “at peace” with the decision.

“I wish I had done it a couple of years ago because it was coming,” he confirmed.

The 28-year-old has made no secret of his mental health struggles despite enjoying success between the ropes with that Olympic bronze in Tokyo, while also claiming Commonwealth silver in 2018 and gold in 2022.

Boxing “felt like a conveyor belt I couldn’t get off” as success only raised expectations and brought added pressure.

Although producing a superb run of victories to qualify for Paris 2024, he admitted he was struggling to get through the final World Qualifier in Bangkok, just as he did in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Exiting the Paris Games in the first round to home favourite Makan Traore, Walsh opened up afterwards about his problems and although his retirement doesn’t come as a great surprise, “now is the right time”.

“Looking back at the interview in Paris, it brought back a lot of emotions. When you see it from an outside perspective, you see the emotional pain, the stress, the pressure and anxiety.

“Looking back, I was going through a lot so I just feel so grateful to have met good people and without that support, it would have been more difficult.

“I’ve had a lot of really good help from my family, my girlfriend and her family. I’m at peace with it now because I was putting other people who care for me and love me under pressure due to my own suffering, so it’s the right decision for myself and everyone else.”