Team GB’s Chef de Mission backs “unassuming” McCracken to inspire more medal success at GB Boxing
Team GB’s Chef de Mission, Mark England OBE, has backed GB Boxing to deliver more boxing success at Paris 2024, despite the “uniquely difficult” challenge of having to build a new team after the departure of 10 of the 11 boxers that competed at Tokyo 2020.
England made his comments in GB Boxing’s recently published Annual Review 2021-22, “Sustaining Success”, which can be viewed and downloaded HERE.
In his guest Foreword, England acknowledged the scale of GB Boxing’s achievement in Tokyo and the challenge it faces in delivering sustained success when boxers turn professional after competing at an Olympic Games.
He says: “For many of the sports we work with, it is very common to see the same athletes representing Team GB at multiple Olympic Games, so the fact that only two boxers from the Rio team were present in Tokyo is a vivid illustration of the uniquely difficult situation GB Boxing faces in delivering sustainable success.
“However, the boxing team returned from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with six medals having produced Great Britain’s best performance for a century. It was a remarkable achievement and evidence of the strong foundations that exist at GB Boxing.”
England cites GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken as a key figure and identifies high quality coaching and a positive, winning culture as two of the organisation’s key attributes.
He adds: “At the heart of this (success) is GB Boxing’s unassuming Performance Director, Rob McCracken, and his team of outstanding coaches and practitioners. As GB Boxing undertakes another rebuild of its Olympic team following the departure of 10 of the 11 boxers that competed in Tokyo, I have every reason to believe it has the foundations in-place to continue its success and inspire the next generation of Team GB boxers and athletes.”
“Sustaining Success” covers the period 1 April 2021 – 31 March 2022. It tells the story of a year of two halves and covers the unprecedented success of the team in Tokyo and the rebuilding process that followed it after 10 of the 11 boxers left the squad to pursue careers in the professional ranks.
Despite the loss of these experienced boxers, it offers an optimistic view of the future and points to the achievements of a new generation including Demie-Jade Resztan, Kiaran MacDonald, Reese Lynch, Ioan Croft, Garan Croft, Harris Akbar, Lewis Richardson, Sam Hickey, Lewis Williams and Delicious Orie who have all won a medal at a major championship since Tokyo.
It includes first-person contributions from the new Chair, Jason Glover, Performance Director, Rob McCracken and GB Boxing’s longest serving boxer, Frazer Clarke, who departed the squad at the end of 2021 after captaining the team en route to a super-heavyweight bronze medal in Tokyo.
Clarke says: “GB Boxing is a family where everyone – teammates, coaches, support staff – is always there for you. I have been privileged to be part of it for more than a decade and there is no doubt that my time with GB Boxing has improved me as a boxer and as a person.
“The coaches have been a massive influence. They have helped me to achieve so much more than I ever thought I would when I walked into the GB Boxing gym a decade ago and could barely do a press-up or sprint for 20 metres. They set the tone and make the gym a special place.
“My message to all of the men and women in the GB Boxing squad is to listen to the coaches and listen to the staff because they know how to help boxers make the most of their talent and achieve their dreams.”
The Annual Review concludes with a contribution from McCracken which reflects on the challenges of rebuilding post-Tokyo and looks forward to Paris 2024.
McCracken says: “The unique nature of boxing and the attractions on offer in the professional ranks mean we rarely enjoy the luxury of keeping our Olympic medallists for more than a single Games and are invariably faced with the challenge of building a new team at the end of each cycle.
“It has made for a very tough second half of the year as the coaches and I have looked to fast-track the boxers we had identified as candidates for Paris 2024 with a demanding schedule of competitions, designed to make-up for lost time, accelerate their development and give them exposure to a wide range of international styles.
“At the same time, we have worked hard to identify and nurture the talent in our pathway and a number of very promising boxers from England, Scotland and Wales have been added to the Podium squad over the last 12 months and are now thriving on the WCP.
“We are heading in the right direction and this new group of boxers have what it takes to win medals at major international championships. (Their performances) have shown that the WCP is getting-to-grips with the challenges it faced post-Tokyo and has given everyone at GB Boxing the confidence to believe we can continue to sustain the success we have enjoyed over the last decade.”