Boxer Lauren Price reaches Olympic quarter-finals

Boxer Lauren Price has reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic women’s middleweight boxing competition in Tokyo.

Price, 27, from Ystrad Mynach, earned a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Mongolia’s Myagmarjargal Munkhbat in the last 16 on Wednesday, July 28 – making her Olympic debut in the process.

She won every round to earn a unanimous victory.

Price, who is the number one seed in her bracket, will now face Panama’s Atheyna Bylon on Saturday, July 31.

The Olympics are being held without fans in attendance due to the coronavirus situation in Japan.

Price told the BBC: “I’m not used to having fans there when we go to the World and European Championships, there’s not a big crowd there, so it’s normal to me.

“It’s a little bit different in the [athletes’] village being around all of the other sports, but that’s what gets you through and pushes you on, so it’s a great environment and I’m really, really enjoying it.”

“You just knew when she was young she was going to do something wonderful”

A talented footballer, Price played for Fleur de Lys AFC, where she was the only girl in the team. She later joined a girls’ team and went onto play for Cardiff City.

She made her debut for Wales in 2012 aged 16 and won 52 caps for her country.

Growing up, Price did kickboxing as well as football – becoming world kickboxing champion aged 12.

At the age of 16 Price decided to switch to boxing as kickboxing was not an Olympic sport.

She would later go on to concentrate fully on her boxing career, leaving football behind.

Since making that decision, Price has gone onto become a European and World champion, as well as a Commonwealth Games gold-medallist.

Since the age of eight, Price has dreamt of competing at the Olympic Games.

Raised by her grandparents in Ystrad Mynach, Price attended Heolddu Comprehensive in Bargoed. Now, she is fulfilling her Olympic dream in Japan.

Speaking to the BBC earlier this year, Price’s grandmother, Linda, said: “You just knew when she was young she was going to do something wonderful. It was in her.

“Lauren said she wanted to be a World Champion kickboxer, play football for Wales and she wants to go to the Olympics. The teacher laughed and I said you should never try to shatter their dreams.”

The middleweight boxer booked her place in Tokyo after her performances at a qualifying competition in Paris, where she came away with the gold medal.

After securing qualification, she tweeted: “Your dreams really can come true. Thank you all for your love and support.”