By Chang-Ran Kim
TOKYO (Reuters) – Middleweight boxing world champion Lauren Price dominated her first bout at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday and said she was “massively” inspired by Britain’s performance in taekwondo, a sport in which she has also competed.
A favourite to take the Olympic gold, the Welsh southpaw was effective with a flurry of shots to Mongolian Myagmarjargal Munkhbat, getting a solid left cross to her opponent’s head in the first round.
Price looked energised and pleased after her win by unanimous vote, flashing a smile and sparring for the cameras as she left the arena.
“It’s been annoying watching everyone box. I’m just glad to get out there,” she said on the sport’s fifth day at the Tokyo Games.
Asked whether she had been inspired by the performance of her friend and taekwondo silver medallist Lauren Williams – they trained at the same kick-boxing gym before they both switched disciplines – Price said: “Massively. She’d done amazing. She was so close to winning that gold.”
Price said she had watched Williams’ final remotely and that Williams had sent her a “good-luck message”. Britain took two silvers and a bronze but no gold in taekwondo.
At that tournament, Williams, also from Wales, had said it was “crazy” that the two ended up in Tokyo together, remembering a photo from a kickboxing world championships in Greece in which she is kicking Price’s stomach and Price is punching her face.
“We had no idea she’d end up being a boxer and I’d end up doing taekwondo. It’s crazy on reflection.
“Just to see her here – it made me proud as well to remember where we came from,” said Williams, who lived in a caravan with her mother for 18 months to join a taekwondo academy in Manchester away from her home in Wales.
Price, who was raised by her grandparents after her parents gave her up as a newborn, said she was really pleased with her performance in the preliminary round, and had expected Munkhbat to come at her more.
“Obviously gold is the main focus but I’m not going to think too far ahead of myself and just enjoy it.”
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
