It was a moment that will stay with Kenny Lally for the rest of his life. It happened last Friday in a boxing venue in Oshawa, Ont.
Lally, a 26-year-old pugilist from Prince George, was awarded a Pan Am Games bronze medal.
"I just took a deep breath when they put it around my neck," said Lally, who competed in the 56-kilogram weight class. "You know what? The years of work, the years of traveling, when they put it around my neck and there were 7,000 people cheering for me, it was just an amazing feeling."
Lally, who represents the Inner City Boxing Club, punched his way to a 1-1 record at the Pan Am Games. He was handed a bye to the quarterfinal round and, in that fight, out-boxed Padilla Segundo of Ecuador in a 2-1 victory. With the win, Lally advanced to a Wednesday semifinal bout against Cuba's Andy Cruz and came out on the wrong end of a 3-0 score. There was no battle for bronze, so Lally and Francisco Martinez of the United States - who lost to the Dominican Republic's Hector Garcia Mora in the other semifinal - both received medals.
Cruz, perhaps the most dominant boxer in the entire Pan Am Games tournament, beat Garcia Mora 3-0 for the gold.
When Lally was presented with his medal, he was thrilled to know that his mom, Jas, was among those 7,000 cheering spectators. She had made the trip from Prince George to watch her boy fight.
"My mom came for the semifinal fight, so she just got there as I was getting in the ring," Lally said. "It was amazing to have my mom there. And my dad (Ranbir) and my brother (Sunny) and sister (Sonya) were going to come if I made the final but I didn't make it that far.
"I was obviously disappointed I didn't get the 'W' (against Cruz) but I came out of that fight with a world of knowledge."
Lally is the reigning Canadian champion in the 56 kg division and has a total of six national crowns. He said the Pan Am Games bronze ranks higher on his list than all but one of his Canadian titles - the first one, which he won in Prince George in 2005 as a 15-year-old.
"That's still No. 1," he said with a grin. "That will always be No. 1."
Since receiving his Pan Am prize, Lally has been showered with affection and messages of congratulations from across the country. He arrived back in Prince George late Monday night and, on Tuesday, made one of his usual stops at the Canadian Tire gas bar, owned by friend Cindy Tucker. When Lally walked through the door, the first thing he saw was a large congratulatory banner.
"Cindy's a sweetheart," Lally said. "I've known her a long time and I went in there to get a pack of gum and they had this huge banner up. It was amazing."
Lally doesn't have much time to bask in the glow of his Pan Am Games accomplishment. Less than two weeks from now, he'll be in Venezuela for the Continental championships, a qualifying tournament for October's world championships in Qatar. In a pool of about 16 fighters, Lally will need a top-four finish in Venezuela to move on to worlds. From there, he said probably the top eight will grab spots in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
For Lally, it will be one step at a time. First will be getting through the Continental test. Physically, he feels fine, even though he did twist a knee in his fight against Cruz.
"The biggest thing is to mentally prepare," Lally said. "I'm not going to be in any better shape but I just have to get to that point of refocusing and fighting."
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