Adams targets Olympic glory
Boxer Nicola Adams thought her Olympic dream was over - but now she has her sights set on medal glory.
Last Updated: 11/10/11 5:40pm
Boxer Nicola Adams thought her 2012 Olympic dream had been ended by injury - but now she has her sights set on medal glory.
Women's boxing is a new addition to the Olympic programme and Great Britain's Adams, a double world silver medallist at flyweight (51kg), is viewed as a genuine contender for gold.
Just participating in London will secure the 28-year-old's place in history as a trailblazer within the sport, and with the event being on home soil, the opportunity for real stardom awaits her.
However, it was not so long ago that Adams was unable to get out of bed due to a career-threatening back injury.
She was sidelined throughout 2009 but returned in style by winning her second world silver medal in 2010, and the Yorkshirewoman is confident she can go on to seize her moment in the spotlight next year by becoming Olympic champion.
"I don't even know if I can explain how I would feel, but I'd be absolutely over the moon," said Adams.
Pressure
"It would be like having immortality, because nobody can ever go to the Olympics for the first time ever again, and then getting a medal, it would be mad.
"I'm not going to lie, there is a lot of pressure, but you can turn it into a positive.
"Because people tip me for a gold medal, it makes me think 'Yeah, I can get gold.'
"I'm using it to give me that extra energy and boost to go out and perform well."
Asked if she had thought her Olympic dream might be over when she was injured, Adams said: "Yes, I did.
"It was a really tough year for me and if you had said to me back then that I'd be going to a World Championships and getting a medal, I'd say there was no way I could get back that quick.
"But I worked hard, I am a dedicated person and I had a good team behind me as well to get my back up to scratch."
While the Olympics are drawing ever nearer, Adams' immediate focus is on the European Championships, which take place in Rotterdam on October 17-22.
Britain's fighters will be able to assess their standing among a tough field as they seek ranking points ahead of next May's World Championships in Chongqing, China, where they will hope to seal Olympic qualification.
"We will have all the tough countries there like Russia, Ukraine and Poland," Adams said. "The European Championships is going to be a vital tournament for me.
"If I can manage to get a gold or any medal, it will give me a lot of ranking points and hopefully give me a good draw for the qualifiers."
Alongside Adams in the GB squad for Rotterdam is Savannah Marshall, who has moved up to compete at the 75kg middleweight division.
The 20-year-old from Hartlepool - a world silver medallist at welterweight - admits it has been tough adapting.
"I have found it really hard, putting on muscle is a lot harder than losing weight," Marshall said.
"But there is still just under a year to go and I'm hoping to be about 75kg before the Olympics."
