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Nicole’s Next Goal – Clyde coming for Commonwealth medal

Nicole Cylde will deliver on a prediction made when she was as young as 14 when she competes in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham tomorrow.

Team NI’s light flyweight, who only finished school this summer, told teachers at Parkhall Integrated College that she would one day compete at the prestigious tournament.

Birmingham 2022 is something she’s been striving toward since her early teens and somewhere she will compete in less than 24 hours.

“Going to the Commonwealth Games has been something I have been looking towards achieving for quite some time now,” she tells Irish-boxing.com

“It’s been something that I was telling my teachers in school from I was 14 or 15 because it was something I believed that I could do and really gave me something to constantly push and strive towards.”

It’s a real dream come true moment for the 19-year-old World Youths quarter-finalist and reigning Ulster champion.

“To actually be selected to go to the Commonwealth’s was massive because it is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, so actually seeing my name on that team sheet absolutely meant the world to me.”

Making the team was huge for the talented teen but not the be-all and end-all. She explains once that childhood dream was achieved she edited her goal sheet and is now targeting success in Birmingham.

“Of course, the dream doesn’t stop at being selected, that was just one goal and once I achieved that the goal has quickly shifted to being able to put in a big performance and hopefully then see myself on that podium if not in the top spot,” she adds.

The Irish Under-22 champion has spent the best part of this year working with the High Performance set up and reports from within the setup suggest she is constantly developing.

The fighter, who competed at the European Under-22s agrees and reveals she has benefitted massively from working under the guidance the High Performance coaches.

“Being around the team and in the High Performance has been massive for me because I have seen myself improving so much since I joined the set-up. Being able to be trained by some of the best coaches in the world really does bring out the best in myself – and also training with top-class boxers day in, day out really does encourage me to push myself to that next level and to continue to train as hard as I can.”

Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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