Rosie Eccles knows better than most the deepest depths of despair that elite sport can convey – but it is all worth it to experience the euphoric highs.
A hard-fought quarter-final victory at the European Games in Krakow on Wednesday clinched an Olympic quota place for Team GB at Paris next year, three years after Eccles’ hopes of making Tokyo were dashed in cruel fashion.
The Welsh boxer missed out on a place in Japan as a result of a virus which attacked the nerves on the right side of her body and affected the function of her right arm.
While Eccles claimed Commonwealth gold for Wales in Birmingham last summer, a third bout with the virus in 2023 looked set to derail another Olympic bid.
She explained: “The first time I was out for nine months, the second time it was about eight or nine weeks and this time I was back training in three or four weeks.
“I’d lost a lot of function in my left arm and was not in a great way physically so it took a lot of mental strength.
“I thought it was happening again. People really rallied round me. I have been very lucky to have great support and great friends telling me it would happen eventually, and it has.
“When it’s medical and something you can’t control, that’s the hardest part.”
What that win meant to Rosie Eccles 🥹 #EuropeanGames2023 pic.twitter.com/XJMG9WInf2
— Team GB (@TeamGB) June 28, 2023
Fortunately for Eccles, she was able to recover in time, meaning it was all about seizing her opportunity at the European Games, where a medal was synonymous with an Olympic quota spot.
She did not have it easy, coming through a tight encounter with Ireland’s world champion Amy Broadhurst 3-2 to set up a semi-final clash with Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey.
The 26-year-old readily admits that achieving one of her major goals in Poland midway through the competition has been quite surreal, with the semi-final set for Friday.
She added: “I’m in pretty damn good spirits. It was amazing, it still hasn’t sunk in at all. But I’m still in the tournament so it’s really unusual. I don’t think you’d ever be so made up at this point in a tournament.
“Qualification is so huge but for me now, I’m boxing to get a place in the final, I’m boxing against the Olympic champion.
“I’m over the moon but I don’t think it will truly sink in until I’ve got my medal on that podium and I’ve finished competing. It’s a massive weight off my shoulders though and I was ecstatic.”
The ongoing competition has inevitably made the celebrations a little more subdued, but the fact that it came on the same day as roommate Charley Davison matched Eccles’ achievements in the 54kg category made it all the sweeter.
Like Eccles, Davison’s journey has not been easy, as she looks to continue the fairytale that saw her qualify for Tokyo 2020 after a seven-year hiatus from the sport during which time she had three children.
And Eccles was thrilled for her roommate and close friend.
“To do it with Charley is brilliant,” she added. “We’ve talked to each other, we’ve gone on and on about this. It’s that feeling in your stomach, it’s excitement and nerves.
“For her, she leaves her children every week, it’s a massive gamble for her and it’s got to pay off. She puts a lot of pressure on herself and I put a lot of pressure on myself, this was my last shot.
“But I think we bring the best out of each other, we are both positive people. We have had some hard things happen in the lead-ups to tournaments and challenges but we really pull each other through. I’m very lucky to have her.”