Not all dreams come true.

The cruel reality of sport is that (almost always) someone wins and someone loses. Sometimes you're the hammer and sometimes you're the nail.

While he may not have gotten hammered in his final attempt at qualifying for the Paris Olympics, Kelyn Cassidy has the optimism of someone who doesn't need to pull on the Irish singlet in France to be satisfied.

Losing by split decision in his third bout in Thailand in recent weeks, the four years of work that brought him to this point could cynically be seen as a waste of time, but the Ballybeg native has grown as both a person and a boxer in that time, cutting a very different figure now compared to when he won his first Irish Senior Elite title back in 2021.

Taking some time away from the intense and unrelenting training schedule, the 26-year-old is focussing on himself, his friends and family and also trying to give back some time coaching the next generation who hope to follow in his footsteps.

Kelyn sat down with WLR Sport for a chat on Saturday's On The Ball to reflect on the journey he's been on these past years.