It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since Katie Taylor won her Olympic title but it has and the truth is that she is firmly focused on the future, namely the upcoming World Championships and of course Rio 2016.
For the second time in two years, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the Bray native who is still as softly-spoken and polite as ever but certainly hasn’t lost that determination that has made her the one to beat in the world of women’s boxing. One moment that made that a reality was of course London 2012.
“It doesn’t feel like two years,” Katie explains. “I remember thinking back in London, it’s another four years to Rio but the time has just flown by. You just don’t see the years going by really.”
As for what’s coming up in a couple of years, the Rio 2016 Olympics, Katie has been working hard since 2012: “I always try to improve from competition to competition and I’ve been trying to work on a few things, trying to get a bit stronger and I’ve been constantly in the gym just trying to improve.
“I feel like the best is yet to come and people haven’t seen the best of me so I’m really excited about the next couple of years and will hopefully defend my Olympic title in Rio.”
This time around the 28-year-old will be the favourite, something which she isn’t concerned about: “I feel the pressure going into any major competition but I think it’s a privileged position that I’m going into each competition as a favourite and I look at the positives of that more than anything else.
“The pressure is never as big as the one you put on yourself. I always expect myself to do well. I always expect to produce great performances. That’s why I train so hard during the year and that’s why I stay so distant because I want to box at my best and I want to win more titles.”
Speaking of more titles, Katie has the World Championships coming up in November, another title which she is eager to get her hands on: “I’m training twice a day, six days a week. I’m in the conditioning phase right now so the training is very intense and I’m just trying to get my strength and fitness up. No rest for the wicked!
“Obviously Rio is my main goal but you also have these World and European titles to defend. I always try to go into those competitions in the best shape possible and try to box to the best of my ability. It’s important to me to win this title.
“The World Championships are just as important as the Olympics are to me and the competition is just as important as any fight. I feel in any fight I can get to the final so it’s important for me to go in and put in great performances.”
As for her lifetime ambitions, Katie wants to become one of the greats: “I’d love to go down as one of the all-time greats in female boxing. I look at some of the greats who have won two of three Olympic medals. That’s definitely the main goal for me at the moment and continue to make my family and the country proud.”
She also hasn’t ruled out going professional. She explained: “I think I’d like to turn pro at some stage in my career just to give it a go. It would be a new challenge for me and it would be great to add a professional title to the other titles that I have. If I am offered a nice deal, I would definitely have to think about it.”
Katie Taylor launched the new adidas Energy Boost footwear. The newest model has an improved fit, look and feel to help runners embrace the road with confidence and style. Energy Boost is available now from Lifestyle Sports and adidas.ie in four colourways: striking pink, frost mint green, white and black.
