Golden opportunity
Kristy Harris qualifies for world championships
KRISTY Harris made a triumphant return to the ring, punching her way into another world championship.
After a 12-month injury lay-off after a broken ankle, 25-year-old Harris was a dominant force in Perth at the weekend, moving through the world title qualifiers undefeated.
The four-time Australian boxing champion dispatched three challengers en route to the gold medal, booking an automatic ticket to the world championships in India later this year.
Harris will now pack her bags for the AIS in Canberra, joining 10 other female boxers in a month-long camp.
They are likely to head to Europe before travelling to India in a chase for glory.
“All I want right now is a medal at the world championships,” Harris said.
“But I don’t like to look too far ahead. Yes, qualifying for the Olympics and medalling would be awesome, but I’m just focusing on a medal at the worlds.”
Harris was dynamic in Perth, downing Queensland’s Lucy Hand in an impressive first-up showing.
“I’d sparred her a bunch of times before, and a lot of people were saying it was going to be my final fight, and she was the strongest in my division,” Harris said.
“But I won every round. I fought the next day against the No. 1 seed, Sacha Ryan, and she won the nationals at 54kg last year.
“I beat her unanimously and then I fought a Victorian girl, Antonia Kaye, in the final. I managed to recover well and I was just pumped to be in there.
“I hadn’t fought in a tournament for a while. I only had three singles fight last year, and this year, I had just two local fights in the lead up.
“So I knew it was going to be tough and I just did everything that I could.”
Harris beat Kaye unanimously over three rounds to complete a successful weekend.
“It was an important one for me,” Harris said of the qualifier.
“I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself. But I knew I did everything that I could in the lead up to get myself in good shape. So I just had to trust my preparation and build my confidence going into the tournament.”
Harris’ success was even more significant, given she made the move down a division.
“At the end of the day, I was just struggling to make 51kg,” she said.
“It was a bit draining, so I decided to go up to 54kg and be more comfortable at that weight and hold a bit more muscle.”
Harris admitted the move would only be temporary, forecasting a return to 51kg in readiness for the Olympics.
“Because 51kg is an Olympic weight category and 54kg is not, I will have to go back down eventually,” she said.
“It’s definitely different, even the pace of it. But it’s not the first time I’ve fought at 54. I’ve fought from 48 to 54 and I fought at 57kg a couple of months ago.
“And I like holding a bit more muscle. I feel stronger (and more imposing).”