GB Boxing Performance Director Rob McCracken on ‘one year to go’ until Paris 2024
On the day that marks One Year to Go until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we speak to GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken, about the progress of the squad and his plans and aspirations for the next 12 months.
How do you reflect on the recent European Games 2023, which was the first Olympic qualifier for Paris 2024 where the team won four medals and qualified three boxers for Paris 2024?
It was a good tournament with some good performances by our boxers. It was fantastic to see Rosie, Charley and Delicious qualify for Paris and also to see Kiaran MacDonald get a medal. It’s just a shame that the qualification criteria was so stringent that Kiaran needed to reach the final to secure a place in Paris. That said, he gained vital experience and should have another chance at one of the next two qualifiers in 2024.
Overall, I think the boxers did well and will learn a lot from it. There were some good performances and some disappointments but that happens when you face tough opposition so it’s a good learning experience for the boxers and hopefully puts us in a better position for when the next qualifiers come around in the early part of 2024.
The Paris Olympic cycle is shorter that previous ones (three years instead of four), what challenges has it presented?
It is very challenging. You don’t have as much time with the squad as you would like and all of this comes on the back of the Coronavirus pandemic which meant many of the boxers in this current group could not compete for 18 months in 2020 and 2021 and missed out on a lot of development opportunities.
Added to all of this, we have the current situation with Russia and Belarus which has prevented our boxers from attending the world championships, which is another development opportunity they have missed out on.
We have done our best to make up for this and have some good quality training camps scheduled with USA and France in the coming months and we’re also looking at upcoming tournaments between now and the end of the year in case we feel any of the boxers will benefit from taking part.
So overall, it is a challenge, but we are adaptable and will always look to find a way round the obstacles that get put in our way.
12 months from the start of the Games, how do you assess the status of the squad and the World Class Programme?
We have lot to do, but then we always have a lot to do. This is elite sport and it is not easy.
The boxers have gained great experience at the European Games and that puts us in a better place, strategy and planning wise, as we know where we are at.
There are other boxers in the squad that did not go to the last qualifier but they are providing competition for places and I expect that missing out on selection for the European Games will spur them on to work harder ahead of the next selection.
For the boxers that did go to Poland, but did not qualify, there is a responsibility to keep performing at a high level if they want to get selected the next time.
Is there anything keeps you awake at night?
Not particularly. The main thing is ensuring we plan in the right way and provide the boxers with the right opportunities to go and perform over the next 12 months. We shouldn’t be worried about the cycle being a year less, we should be embracing the challenge because that’s what GB Boxing has always done. We have the expertise in the programme with the coaches and support staff to help the boxers fulfil their potential and be in a position to qualify for Paris 2024.
From a personal point of view, Paris 2024 will be your fourth Olympics – are you still enjoying it?
It’s fantastic. Over the years I’ve worked with loads of boxers, and they’ve given it their all and that is all you can expect of them. To be the best boxer at your weight in the GB Boxing squad is a tough call in itself – and that’s before you’ve factored in the rest of the world – so it’s great to have worked and continue to work with so many top boxers that give their all to be the best they can be.
It is a great environment to work in and I still enjoy it every day. We have brilliant coaches and staff here and with their combined expertise, I am hopeful that we can guide the boxers through to where they need to be. Having one year less on this cycle does mean it is a challenge but it’s one I feel we are up to and we are all looking forward to it.
With just one year to go, do you have a message to the boxers?
Work hard and believe in yourself. Listen to the people around you as they know what it takes to help you win an Olympic medal. And when the opportunities present themselves, give it your all and show what you can do.