Glasgow 2014: Nicola Adams beats Michaela Walsh to gold
- Published
England's Nicola Adams beat Northern Ireland's Michaela Walsh in Glasgow to become the first female Commonwealth Games boxing champion.
Adams, 31, has lost only once since becoming the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title at London 2012.
The Leeds fighter landed the cleaner shots throughout the flyweight final and was awarded a split decision.
Savannah Marshall also won gold for England, beating Canada's Ariane Fortin in the women's middleweight final.
Adams' only defeat since the Olympics was in the quarter-finals of the European Championships in June, which made her even more determined to make history again in Glasgow.
Adams' honours | |
---|---|
England amateur champion 2003-6 | Olympic gold 2012 |
European Union gold 2011 | Sports Personality shortlist 2012 |
European silver 2007, gold 2011 | MBE 2013 |
World silver 2008, 2010 and 2012 | Commonwealth Games gold 2014 |
Her medal was the 50th gold for England at these Commonwealth Games.
Her four-round bout against Walsh began with a cagey first minute but opened up as the first round wore on, with Adams appearing to land the cleaner shots.
She used her jab to good effect in the second round, following it up with some heavy right hands, but Walsh also landed with some snappy shots on the counter.
Adams landed with a couple of scything right hands in round three as Walsh began to show signs of fatigue and Adams demonstrated her experience in the final round, getting on her toes and staying out of harm's way.
Adams told BBC Sport: "I'm overwhelmed. I can't believe it. The support I have had - I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has turned up today and to those who have supported from home.
"I knew it was close through the rounds but I thought I had done enough to just take it. It's definitely been a Scottish rumble in the jungle."
Walsh, like Barnes a member of the Holy Family boxing club in Belfast, said: "It was a close fight but I wanted it that wee bit more. She is Olympic champion and the two judges had it level, but I know in my heart I won the fight.
"I'd like to say congratulations to Nicola Adams, she is a great boxer for women's boxing but I do feel I have been cheated of the gold."
Hartlepool's Marshall, the reigning world champion, was awarded a lop-sided split decision over her Canadian rival, with one judge scoring the fight 40-36 to Marshall and another awarding it 40-36 to Fortin.
Marshall, 23, had a significant height and reach advantage but Fortin was able to get inside her jab often enough to land plenty of blows of her own. However, Marshall did enough eye-catching work to nick the decision.
In the women's lightweight final, Australian Shelley Watts, who beat English Olympian Natasha Jonas in the first round and Northern Ireland's Alanna Audley-Murphy in the semi-finals, earned a unanimous decision over India's Laishram Devi.
- Published2 August 2014
- Published2 August 2014
- Published1 August 2014
- Published3 August 2014
- Attribution
- Published17 July 2014
- Published20 May 2014
- Published16 July 2014