Opinion: Hugo Keenan endured a difficult year but will always be an Olympian

Hugo Keenan suffered his second quarter-final defeat in less than a year.

It has been a challenging year for Ireland rugby star Hugo Keenan and through no fault of his own.

That's as the fullback's season, which started with a devastating World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand, ends with an Olympic quarter-final loss to Fiji.

The meantime saw him experience more disappointment as his Leinster team fell agonisingly short in the Champions Cup Final versus Toulouse.

And, although Leinster's Irish contingent finally tasted success with a summer tour win over the Springboks, Keenan missed that trip to focus on the Olympics.

He is unlikely to regret that decision - the Olympics remains the highest honour in sport - even if he would have hoped for a greater pay-off for his sacrifices than a last-eight knockout defeat.

It's true that the Irish rugby union side enjoyed more celebrations than their sevens counterparts thanks to their second test triumph over the Springboks earlier this month.

But rugby test matches can't hold a candle to Olympic honours, no matter what twist fans might like to put on the fifteen-man game.

The rugby institution - sensibly - holds rugby union at the top of the sport's food chain, but the world sport lens takes a different view every four years.

Saying "I am an Olympian" travels far further and wider than "I am a Six Nations champion" and that much is indisputable.

Hugo Keenan can now say both and that's more than most athletes can dream of saying in their lifetime.