Paris 2024 Team GB Olympian Rosie Eccles leaves the GB Boxing squad and will not aim for a second olympic games in la
Welsh boxer aims to go out on a high by defending Commonwealth Games title at Glasgow 2026
WALES’S Rosie Eccles has decided to leave the World Class Programme (WCP) for boxing and will not attempt to qualify for a second Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028.
The 29-year-old will no longer be part of the GB Boxing squad but will continue to train with the Welsh national team in Cardiff and hopes to compete at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games this summer, where she will defend the light-middleweight title she won at Birmingham 2022.
It would be her third appearance at a Commonwealth Games and an opportunity to complete a trilogy of medals to go with her gold from Birmingham and the silver she won four years earlier on the Gold Coast in Australia.
Explaining her decision, Rosie said: “Chasing the Olympic dream has been my life. But after eight incredible years, I’ve made the hardest decision of all, to stop chasing it and to leave GB Boxing.
“As much as I still desire Olympic glory in LA, the reality is that my body has new limits now. I’ve worked relentlessly to return to competitive form after serious injuries but to expect my body to endure another two and a half years of what Olympic success demands would be unrealistic.
“My proudest moment will always be securing my Olympic qualification and then, a year later, walking to the ring for my Olympic debut in Paris. Absolute magic. And a true team effort.”
GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken added: “Rosie has been a brilliant boxer for us who always gave her all and she is an absolute credit to herself, her family, GB Boxing and Welsh sport.
“She put in 100% every day and can be very proud of her achievements in winning medals at multiple major championships and qualifying for the Olympic Games in Paris. Securing Olympic qualification is a massive achievement in its own right and it is brilliant that Rosie finally managed to do this after all of the bad luck she experienced in the Tokyo cycle.
“While we are disappointed to see Rosie leave, we recognise she has given everything to GB Boxing and has been a fantastic example and role model to many of the younger boxers in our squad. She is a great person to have around and though she will be sadly missed by all of the coaches and support staff, Rosie will always be welcome in the GB Boxing gym and we hope she will come back to see us regularly.
“Everyone at GB Boxing wishes Rosie all the best with her future plans and hopes she will be successful in representing Wales at her third Commonwealth Games, where she will have every chance of adding to her impressive medal tally. It would be a fitting end to a brilliant career.”
Having taken up boxing aged 16, Rosie Eccles joined the GB Boxing squad in 2018, shortly after she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast and impressed at the 2019 European Championships where she took bronze.
A combination of injuries and a change to the qualification pathway, as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, prevented her from having the opportunity to qualify for Tokyo. However, she stayed with GB Boxing for the Paris cycle where she won a gold at Birmingham 2022 and secured qualification for the 2024 Olympics when she won a bronze medal at the 2023 European Games in Krakow.
On her time with GB Boxing and future plans, Rosie added: “As hard as it is to say goodbye, what a privilege it has been to chase my childhood dream for as long as I have and to be supported in doing so. If you had told the younger me that I would spend eight years living away from home, training three times a day on a World Class Programme in pursuit of the Olympics, I would have been in awe.
“I want to extend my deepest thanks to everyone at GB Boxing, and of course The National Lottery. There is so much unseen work that goes into giving us boxers the very best chance of success.
“Since joining in 2018, I’ve been proudly funded by The National Lottery, worked alongside dedicated coaches and support staff, travelled the world, and been given the opportunity to give this dream absolutely everything I had. I’ve experienced the highest highs and been humbled back down to earth more than once — and I know I will carry those lessons with me into life beyond boxing.
“While I am leaving GB Boxing and the Olympic stage behind, I hope for one last dance before I retire from the sport altogether. My goal is to compete one final time under the Welsh flag at the Commonwealth Games and bring home one last medal for my country.
“For these final six months, I am heading home to my Welsh team to finish my career where it all began — before turning my focus to giving back to the sport that has given me everything. GB Boxing, it has been an incredible eight years, and I will be forever grateful.
“I hope to see you all in Glasgow.”