Family provide inspiration for medal hope Davison

Charley Davison travelled to the French capital last week

Bantamweight Charley Davison wants an Olympic medal as a thank-you to her children for her many absences in pursuit of glory in the ring.

The 30-year-old is in the French capital as part of the Team GB boxing squad, having previously stated that this Games will be her last.

Suffolk's Davison lost in the second round in Tokyo three years ago, but believes she is in the right mental and physical shape to go a lot further this time.

"A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter, and I think I've reached my full potential; I've gained much more experience, and it's going to show in Paris," she told BBC Sport.

Davison spent seven years away from the ring following the birth of the first of her three children, just a few months before London 2012.

The desire, though, never left her, and after success at national and European level, she regards an Olympic medal as "the top, the last step".

She won two tournaments in Finland and one in Germany in 2023 and reached the semi-finals at the European Games in Poland.

And she is the second fighter from the Triple A club in Lowestoft to appear at an Olympics, following Anthony Ogogo, who won a middleweight bronze medal in London 12 years ago.

Charley Davison was beaten in the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Olympics

Despite the many hours in the gym, the family are never far from her thoughts.

"If I'm having a hard day and I don't want to train, they're always in my mind, and I have to make every second count because obviously I'm away from home a lot," Davison said.

"Missing out on them, I need to put the effort in in the gym, get the best out of every session, and not waste any time. When I walk to that ring, I visualise them and why I'm doing it, and it makes it all worthwhile."

She added: "Every time I get a medal, I give it to them. That's the reason I need to get on that podium in Paris, to show them that this is what all the hard work and dedication is for. They'll have to take it in turns to look after it."