After leaving the GB set up back in March, Rosie Eccles is laser-focused on completing her Commonwealth Games “trilogy” in Glasgow. She’s gunning for a third medal in what’s almost certainly her last ever tournament, and believe it: the Caldicot light-middleweight has “more fire than ever” to repeat her gold medal performance from Birmingham. She even turned 30 the day she carried the Welsh flag at the opening ceremony. Talk about a statement entrance!
The Quest for History
This isn’t just another medal run for Eccles; it’s deeply sentimental. “It’s about Wales, my people, my team and giving us all that one last little stab at something when it’s a bit hard,” she said. With two Commonwealth medals and an Olympic Games already on her CV, she could’ve easily walked away, especially after battling through some serious injuries. But this fighter doesn’t quit. Her sights are set on making history: “Nobody has retained that title so it’s a little bit of history for me.” She started boxing with an Olympic dream, but it’s the Commonwealth Games that became her “real love,” that sense of home and representing her nation. Going into her third Games? “Absolutely crazy,” she calls it, and it feels like the right way to finish.
The Mental Battle of an “Invisible Killer”
Getting here has been a brutal climb. Eccles has faced down back and knee injuries, plus “horrendous” nerve damage linked to coronavirus. That nerve damage, she said, was “the invisible killer.” It took her nine months to recover the first time, when she lost 90% function in her right arm, only for it to return before an Olympic qualifier three years later. “For me it was more the mental battle, I’d become so hard headed like I can overcome anything.” Colin Jones, head coach, who was the youngest British boxer at the Olympics himself in 1976, knows her grit: “Rosie is the type of person who will never lay down to anything that gets in her way.” He added, “Nothing is too much, no run is too long and no mountain is too steep.” Her team, including performance director Adam Park, has been crucial, getting the best out of her body, especially after a “nasty” knee injury last year. Jones pointed to her gold medals in the last two European tournaments as huge achievements, proving she knows how to push through.
Eccles has always done things the right way, despite the setbacks, even if she “didn’t reach my absolute aim of Olympic gold.” Now, with Glasgow here, it’s one final shot at that unprecedented third medal, and she’s hoping to go out on a “massive high.” We’re all watching to see if she can do it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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