NICOLA ADAMS won the Olympic Games in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games last year, at times making it look easy. But she explained how she copes with the daily grind of boxing training, “When I have those days when I feel like I don’t want to train or I’m having a lazy day, I always think my opponent will be out there training. That always gets me up going and running in the morning. I always think that my opponent, while I’m resting, will be training, so it always keeps me motivated.”
Adams has thrived during these major tournaments, despite the weight of expectation on her, particularly at the Commonwealth Games. She revealed how she does it: “As for the pressure, I tend not to think about it too much. I try to enjoy the times I’m competing and I like to use the pressure to my own advantage. Instead of thinking, ‘Oh, my god everybody wants me to win, they think I’m going to win gold, what am I going to do if I lose?’ I try not to think about that. I try to think of it in a positive way – everybody wants me to win and they think that I can win. So I use that. I get in the ring and think you know what everybody thinks that I can win this gold and I’m going prove I can do it.”
For a full profile of Nicola Adams don’t miss this week’s issue of Boxing News
