Australia is taking its largest boxing team to the Paris games, headlined by fan favourite
Australia is set to unleash 12 fighters at the Paris Olympics, after naming a record contingent, including its first female Indigenous fighter and a 120kg monster. Find out more inside.
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Australia will unleash the biggest boxer in their Olympic history, and roll out the first female Indigenous fighter, after naming a record contingent in the quest for gold at the Paris Games.
Towering 120kg super heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana is a frightening figure in Australia’s largest-ever Olympics boxing team, with 12 athletes formally named in Canberra on Friday to lead the charge in Paris.
The 12-strong team eclipses the 11 pugilists sent to the 2012 London Olympics and features a record six women, tripling the previous high of two female fighters at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The history-making squad includes Marissa Williamson Pohlman, the nation’s first female Indigenous Olympic boxer, and Tina Rahimi, the maiden Muslim Australian woman to feature at a Games.
Tokyo bronze medallist Harry Garside has clinched back-to-back Games appearances and is hellbent on claiming gold after winning Australia’s first Olympic boxing medal in 33 years in Japan.
World Championship silver medallist Caitlin Parker returns for her second Games, while Monique Suraci, Tiana Echegaray, Tyla McDonald, Shannan Davey, Callum Peters, Charlie Senior and Yusuf Chothia _ all debutants _ are other Paris squad members.
But it will be hard to miss the gargantuan Teremoana, a 198cm, 264-pound behemoth from Brisbane who is rated a genuine gold-medal contender in the super-heavyweight class (92kg+).
No Australian super-heavyweight has ever progressed past the first round, let alone won a medal, but the monstrous Teremoana plans to shock the world.
“I eventually want to turn pro, but my only focus now is Olympic gold,” the 26-year-old said.
“It will be amazing to walk into that ring in Paris.
“I’m going to soak it all in and enjoy the experience.
“No-one in my family has been to the Olympics, so I am blessed to be a trailblazer.
“I believe I can win gold and that’s what I will be going for.”
The Paris troupe underscores the diversity in Australian boxing. The team is represented by all five mainland states, featuring athletes boasting Indigenous, Pasifika, European, African, Middle Eastern and South American heritage.
Williamson Pohlman, a 22-year-old Ngarrindjeri woman from Victoria, is ready to make a statement on the world stage.
“It feels amazing, this is a dream come true for me, my family and my community,” she said.
“To be the first Indigenous woman to qualify for the Olympics in the sport of boxing is one of the biggest achievements of my life.”
Garside won only Australia’s fifth boxing medal in Olympic history in Tokyo, but the 26-year-old is not satisfied with bronze.
“My goal is a gold medal,” he said.
“My second Games, I’m going to be so much smarter this time, more mature.
“I know I’ll be the best version of myself come Paris.
“It’s so good to be part of such a massive team, such a great mix. We’re a massive chance to have our most successful Games ever.”
Rahimi’s rise is meteoric - the 28-year-old Bankstown banger only took up boxing seven years ago and has been steeled by her Islamic faith.
“It’s been such an overwhelming response since I qualified, just so much support,” Rahimi said.
“It’s really empowering to know there’s people around the world that look up to us, see us breaking barriers, to know we’re capable of doing anything, while staying true to ourselves.
“This team is so tight, we’re each other’s family, and we’re coming for it all in Paris.”
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Originally published as Australia is taking its largest boxing team to the Paris games, headlined by fan favourite
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