London 2012: GB's Tom Stalker managing nerves and expectations

  • Published

Team GB's Olympic boxing captain Tom Stalker has said he is managing the excitement of competing at London 2012.

The 28-year-old from Liverpool is ranked number one in the 64kg light-welterweight category.

"All my energy is going into boxing," Stalker told BBC North West Tonight. "When I speak to people in the street, you feel the excitement of it all.

"As long as I stay in the gym and stay focused, I'll do the job that I've got to do and that's win a medal."

Stalker, who won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, continued: "I'll be a fool to stand here and say 'I'm going to win the gold medal' because it's so hard.

"People don't understand how hard it's going to be. I promise everyone that I'll be giving it 110% and, fingers crossed, I'll be coming out the winner."

Natasha Jonas, also from Liverpool, is one of three female boxers competing for Team GB and says Stalker has been very supportive as she fought her way to her first Olympics.

"One of the first things I said when I qualified was that I couldn't wait to tell Tom," she said. "It's always nice to have someone from Liverpool there.

"Tom's the team captain as well. He's such a good person to talk to and calm you down.

"There's a good bond between everyone in the team. We're all really close and we're all there supporting one another. It's a brilliant atmosphere and that's why we're so successful."

Jonas, 28, won a bronze medal at the World Championships in China earlier this year and is confident of collecting an Olympic medal in the 60kg lightweight category.

"The way I see it, there are two people in the world that are better than me at the moment," she added. "I've had since the World Championships to put that right. By the time the Olympics come around, we'll see."