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23/10/2007
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (WOMENS) - VEJLE, DENMARK
DAY ONE (14/10/07) ASSEMBLY/TRAVEL
The Team assembled at Gatwick Airport and boarded the 7.15pm Sterling.dk flight to Billund Airport. On arrival, we were transferred via coach to the city of Vejle, which only took 30 minutes. We received accreditation at the Vejle Centret boxing venue and were then transferred to The Golden Tulip hotel. After a check weigh in, all team members retired to bed at around midnight.
DAY TWO (14/10/07) WEIGH IN, MEDICAL AND DRAW
Boxers from all nations were transferred to the Vejle Centret boxing venue for their medical inspection, followed by the official weigh in at 07.00am. All 5 English boxers made the stipulated weight at the first attempt. The draw followed at the Golden Tulip hotel at 11.00am, which was conducted fairly and efficiently with England receiving overall a reasonable return avoiding some of the higher ranked boxers for their opening contests, with the exception of Lucy Abel,
Natasha Jonas assisted me during the opening ceremony, as we paraded the St Georges flag, all in the presence of new AIBA President Dr Wu.
SESSION 1 ( prelim- session at 7pm)
63kg Amanda Coulson won K. Penttinen (Finland) 10:9
After trailing in the first round by 2 points, Team Captain Amanda found her range and began scoring well, with stinging combinations in the second. In a nail biting final session, Amanda opened a 3 point gap as her confidence grew, only for the Finn to close it to 1 point with a few seconds remaining on the clock. This win provided Amanada with the ideal present as today was her 25th birthday.
DAY THREE (16/10/07) SESSION 2 ( prelim- session at 3pm)
54kg Nicola Adams beat A. Melefaki (Greece) Won Outclassed 2
A determined start saw Nicola on fire, dropping her opponent with a perfectly executed straight right hand, within the opening minute. The Greek hung on gamely and the gap was reduced early in the second, when Nicola received a warning for slapping. Nicola would not be denied, as she pilled on the pressure and forced another 8 count and with 30 seconds left on the clock, she opened a 15 point gap, with the scores at 17:2, forcing the obligatory outclass stoppage.
60kg Anastasia Cousins lost A. Berechet (Romania) 2:14
England debutant, Anasatsia showed a lot of heart in this contest. The Romanianm raced to an early lead, however Anastasia hung in and settled, not letting Berechet have things all her own way. The eventual scoreline was somewhat flattering for Anastasia's opponent.
SESSION 3 ( prelim- session at 7pm)
57kg Lucy Abel lost M. Lacatus (Romania) 4:14
Lucy faced a tough opponent, who had stopped her in the opening contest of last years European championships. Lucy suffered a knock down in the first, yet she showed immense spirit as she battled her way through this contest. If it had not been for such a tough draw, i am confident that Lucy would have featured in the medal stages of this tournament. Again, the eventual score line seemed harsh on the English boxer.
66kg Natasha Jonas lost R. Holgersson (Sweden) 5:11
After a purposeful start, Natasha struggled with the determined Swede. Natasha received 2 extra points in the third when Holgersson received a warning for slapping. The eventual score line indicated an improvement for Natasha, who had lost to the Swede 0:7 back in August.
DAY FOUR (17/10/07) SESSION 4 (quater-finals)
54kg Nicola Adams won S. Petrova (Bulgaria) rsc3
Nicola faced a capable southpaw Bulgarian, who raced into a 6 point lead after the first 2 rounds. Warnings against the Bulgarian in the 2nd and 3rd reduced the gap by 4 points. Nicola needed to take desperate action and she did not disappoint, forcing 2 standing 8 counts in the last half minute of the bout, forcing the vital instant stoppage. Nicola incredibly lead by 1 point at the point of stoppage in what would be the most exciting bout of the entire tournament.
63kg Amanda Coulson lost Y. B. Rasmussen (Denmark) 8:16
The local southpaw boxer caused Amanda numerous problems, as she caught the English girl when she advanced. Amanada's chances were not helped as she received warnings in the 2nd and 3rd for use of the inside of the glove.
DAY FIVE (18/10/07)
Coaches Alwyn Belcher and Amanda Groarke, along with me attended a 3 hour EABA Coaches Seminar at the Golden Tulip hotel, which looked into training adaptation and nutrition differences in gender along with mental aspects of coaching women boxers. The session was both interesting and beneficial.
SESSION 6 (semi-finals)
54kg Nicola Adams won L. Hrytsay (Ukraine) 7:6
In a tactical battle, Nicola was down 2 points going into the last. Yet another gutsy response turned the bout around, as she won it 5-2 with her determination winning the day. Never a dull contest with Nicola!
DAY SIX (19/10/07)
Rest day! The team embarked on an official guided tour of Vejle in the morning, on foot!
In the afternoon, the team (excluding Nicola) took part in a sparring session with boxers from Croatia, Denmark and Sweden. All of the women acquitted themselves well and gained valuable experience.
DAY SEVEN (20/10/07) SESSION 8 (finals)
54kg Nicola Adams lost S. Ochigava (Russia) 7:9
In a tight technical contest, Ochigava just seemed to have the edge throughout. The Russian received a warning in the last, which allowed Nicola to close the gap to 1 point, however Ochigava did enough to win the bout. Regardless of the result, Nicola gave yet another great performance and was within a whisker of toppling 2 time European champion.
DAY EIGHT (21/10/07)
Transfer by coach to the airport occurred at 3pm. The return flight was trouble free and the team dispersed their separate ways at Gatwick Airport.
END RESULT - ENGLAND 1 SILVER MEDAL
All of the England team are to be congratulated on their ring performances. Vital experience was gained in a strong field of competitors and augers well for the future of women's boxing in England. Nicolas silver medal, would see her make English amateur boxing history, by becoming the first women's boxer to win a medal in a major championship. The tournament would see 137 boxers partake from 26 different countries, amassing 124 bouts in total and proving to be the biggest ever women's European Championships.
GENERAL ROUTINE
Each day, would see a medical exam/weigh in at 7.00am, then breakfast, followed by rest and relaxation around the hotel. The boxing venue was either a 5 minute coach transfer or 10 minute walk from the hotel. The hotel we were located in was fairly central to the city of Vejle, allowing the boxers and staff to take strolls around the shops. After the evening boxing sessions, dinner would be served and then training sessions would follow, with bed time around 11pm. The weather was fairly dry for our stay and whilst cool for us, fairly mild in Danish terms for this time of year.
Whilst there were several glitches with computer scoring system causing delays in the earlier sessions, the officiating on the whole was of a high standard.
COACHES & OFFICIALS
The Head Coach Alwyn Belcher, assisted by Amanda Groarke both ensured the boxers entered the ring in top condition. They are to be congratulated for their outstanding work in assisting an English women's boxer to make history and enabling the team as a whole, to all compete admirably at a high profile championship.
Official Mick Norford, in his first tournament overseas since recently qualifying to AIBA standard, gave his usual competent services when refereeing and judging contests throughout the tournament. The support staff gelled well which helped make this a positive experience.
THE BOXERS
The conduct of the 5 x boxers was exemplary throughout their entire stay in Denmark.
ACCOMADATION
We stayed at the 3 star Golden Tulip hotel for the duration of the tournament. The food was fairly repetitive, yet of a reasonable standard.
DANISH HOSPITALITY
There was a special function for Team Managers and Officials on Day 3, when Mick Norford and I attended a special Mayor's reception at the Vejle Town Hall.
We found the Danish BU to be helpful in ensuring our stay was trouble free.
Ma rtin Webb
Martin Webb
Team Manager
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