Golds for Chantelle Reid and Damar Thomas as GB Boxing win six medals at strandja tournament in bulgaria
Derby’s Chantelle Reid and London’s Damar Thomas both claimed gold as men and women from the GB Boxing squad came away with six medals from this year’s Strandja Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The pair were joined on the podium by Lauren Mackie, who won silver at bantamweight (W54kg), and squad mates Will Hewitt, Sacha Hickey and Patris Mughalzai who came away with bronze.
It marked a strong start to the year at a high-quality tournament that included entries from many of the world’s leading nations, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the USA, and featured numerous boxers that starred and won medals at last year’s World Boxing Championships 2025 in Liverpool.
Damar Thomas continued the impressive from that saw him crowned European U23 champion in his last outing as he racked-up four conclusive victories over high-class opponents in Sofia.
It included a first-round stoppage over Brazil’s Joao Vitor Batiste Silva a unanimous win over Uzbekistan’s Arman Makhanov and a 4-1 defeat of Germany’s highly rated, Nikita Putilov. He overcame a second Uzbek in the final with a unanimous win over Ozodbek Aliev and went on to be named runner-up as Best Male Boxer of the Tournament.
In the women’s competition, light-middleweight (W70kg) Chantelle Reid built on the form that saw her win a bronze medal at last year’s World Boxing Championships, with four victories including a unanimous 5–0 win over Australia’s world silver medallist Lekeisha Pergoliti in her semi-final.
She secured gold with another unanimous victory over Viviane Pereira of Brazil. It capped an emotional week for Reid, who sadly lost a grandparent shortly before travelling to Sofia.
Chantelle said: “This gold means so much to me as my Nana sadly passed away a week ago, so I dedicate this to her. I praise God for the strength He has given me to get through this competition. The coaches and staff have given me so much support and encouragement and for that I’m extremely grateful.”
The result also continues Reid’s remarkable return to the sport.
The 2024 Olympian left the World Class Programme (WCP) after the Paris Games, but following a visit to her old Primary School and pep talk from one of her former teachers, she made a surprise return to the GB Boxing squad just six weeks before the inaugural World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, where she went on to secure a bronze medal.
Chantelle added: “I can’t thank GB Boxing enough for the preparation we’ve had for this competition. Before coming here, we spent two weeks training in America and that hard work has paid off in my performances.
“I am really happy with my progress since coming back onto the programme. Winning gold at Strandja against top opposition, alongside bronze at the World Championships last year, shows both the team and I are in a good position as we get closer to LA28.”