Team GB has named the four women and seven men that will compete in the boxing competition at the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The team includes 2019 middleweight world champion, Lauren Price, and two men that competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, flyweight, Galal Yafai and welterweight, Pat McCormack. The trio all won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Price and McCormack are also 2019 European Games champions and won gold and silver respectively at their world championships in 2019.
The three remaining women in the team are mum of three Charley Davison who will box at flyweight, 2019 Youth world and Olympic champion, Caroline Dubois, at lightweight and 2019 world championship bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall in the featherweight division.
All seven of the men have won at least one major medal in the Tokyo Olympic cycle.
Featherweight, Peter McGrail, is the 2017 European and 2018 Commonwealth Champion and won bronze medals at the 2017 and 2019 world championships.
Joining his twin brother Pat in the team is 2017 European championship silver medallist, Luke McCormack, who will box at lightweight.
At light-heavyweight is Ben Whittaker who won silver at the European Games and bronze at the world championships in 2019.
2017 European championship silver medallist, Cheavon Clarke, will compete at heavyweight.
2017 European championship silver medallist and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Frazer Clarke, completes the team at super-heavyweight. The 29-year-old, who has been part of the GB Boxing squad for more than 10 years, has been named as captain of the boxing team.
All 11 boxers earnt their Team GB selections by virtue of their performances at the Boxing Road to Tokyo European Olympic qualifying event in Paris in June 2021 where they won two gold (Price and Pat McCormack), five silver (Davison, Dubois, Yafai, Whittaker and Frazer Clarke) and two bronze (Cheavon Clarke and Luke McCormack).
Team GB Chef de Mission for the Tokyo Olympic Games, Mark England, said: “There is huge amount of strength and talent among the boxers selected to Team GB for the Tokyo Olympic Games and their impressive performances in Paris last month demonstrate how deserving they all are of their selection.
“We are very proud of Team GB’s history in boxing at the Olympic Games and it is a real honour to be able to welcome this exciting group to Team GB exactly one month out from the Opening Ceremony. As a sport that has delivered so many exciting, medal winning performances at the Olympic Games, there is no doubt that Tokyo will be a very special opportunity for these athletes to write their own piece of Team GB history.”
Boxing Team Leader and GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken said: “To qualify 11 boxers is a fantastic achievement especially as the boxers only had one competitive opportunity to earn a place at the Tokyo Olympics. The last 12 months has been very challenging for us all but the coaches and support staff have done a great job of preparing the team and the boxers have delivered when it matters most.
“This is a very talented group with quite a lot of experience and provided they continue to prepare well, work hard and listen to the coaches they have every chance of being successful at the Olympic Games.”
On the decision to appoint Frazer Clarke as captain of the boxing team, McCracken explained: “Frazer has been a big part of the GB Boxing squad for more than a decade and was the outstanding candidate when it came to appointing a captain. He is always the loudest voice in the crowd supporting his teammates at tournaments and is liked and respected by all of his colleagues. He is a great ambassador for GB Boxing and embodies the ethos of the organisation which aims to develop and support the boxers, not just as athletes, but also as people.”
Lauren Price said: “It has been my dream to compete at the Olympic Games since I was eight-years-old so to finally have the opportunity is amazing, particularly after everything we have had to go through in the last year or so. It will be the highlight of my career to-date and I am really looking forward to competing on the biggest stage of all.”
Frazer Clarke said: “I have dedicated the last 10 years to this and earning the right to represent my country at the Olympic Games so to finally achieve it and be selected to represent Team GB is an amazing feeling. I was able to go to Rio as a sparring partner and it was good to support the team, but to compete at Olympics is what I have always wanted and I just cannot wait to go out there and show the world what I can do.
“This is a really strong team so to have been named captain is an unbelievable honour. GB Boxing has played an enormous part in shaping me, not just as a boxer, but also a person and to be made captain of the team is amazing. It is one of the proudest achievements of my life.”
Team GB boxers for Tokyo:
Women:
Charley Davison, Flyweight (51kg)
Karriss Artingstall, Featherweight (57kg)
Caroline Dubois, Lightweight (60kg)
Lauren Price, Middleweight (75kg)
Men:
Galal Yafai, Flyweight (52kg)
Peter McGrail, Featherweight (57kg)
Luke McCormack, Lightweight (63kg)*
Pat McCormack, Welterweight (69kg)
Ben Whittaker, Light-heavyweight (81kg)
Cheavon Clarke, Heavyweight (91kg)
Frazer Clarke, Super-heavyweight (91kg+)