Australia’s best boxers hooked on AIS as they prepare for Paris
Australia’s boxing team has taken over the AIS Combat Centre for a fortnight of training, sparring and bonding ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
24 January 2024
Australia’s boxing team has taken over the AIS Combat Centre for a fortnight of training, sparring and bonding ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Minister for Sport The Hon Anika Wells joined Australia's top boxers for breakfast at the AIS Dining Hall and caught up on their Paris preparations.
“This is just the start of what is going to be hopefully Australia’s most successful year of Olympic boxing,” Australia’s first female boxer to compete in two Games, Caitlin Parker said.
Parker is one of 12 boxers who have qualified for Paris, making this the largest team to represent the country at an Olympics.
Training three times a day, the boxers are enjoying being back together. “We've got the whole strength gym, we've got physios, doctors - everything you could possibly need in your training. It’s the perfect environment to be in, I love it here,” Parker says.
An important part of the camp is reconnecting with teammates and knowing how best to support members during the intense competition.
“We're cheering and supporting each other and we know what annoys each other… so we create a better space for each other when we're over there.”
The Aussies have been sparring with athletes from the Philippines who are also at the AIS preparing for their Olympic qualifications. Women’s 50kg contender and Queanbeyan local Monique Suraci says it’s been great for the team, adding that “all of them are peaking right now and so it's really good to push us back into where we need to be.”
“I always had a goal at 22 that I'm going to qualify for the Olympics and at 22 I've qualified for the Olympics, it's a dream come true.”
Super-heavyweight Teremoana Jr Teremoana says he’s learning something new every day, “being together with the other Olympians ups the training… It makes you want to push as well.”
Minister for Sport The Hon Anika Wells also stopped by campus to join the team for breakfast at the Dining Hall and catch up on their preparations for Paris.
The team will be back in Canberra in March. Brazil’s nine Olympic-qualified boxers will also be in the nation’s capital at the time, giving our athletes valuable international experience on home soil.
