Harris in sight of gold bid
KRISTY Harris’s hopes of world championship glory have received a timely shot in the arm, with the Geelong boxer dominating in Europe.
A four-time Australian boxing champion, Harris again proved her worth on the global stage, collecting gold and bronze medals in back-to-back tournaments.
The 25-year-old will now go to the worlds in India with supreme confidence, having claimed gold at the world title qualifiers in Perth in July.
“The whole trip was a vital part of the preparation for the worlds,” Harris said.
“I had five quality fights against international boxers, which made me even more excited and determined for the world championships.
“As soon as the tournament was over I was looking forward to getting back in the ring.
“The worlds are five weeks away, so I’ll head home for a few days before going back to Canberra for the last block of training at the AIS, where we will be joined by the Philippines national team.”
Self-funded, she flew to Europe for two warm-up tournaments.
She opened her campaign in Istanbul, Turkey, where she competed in the International Ahmet Comert Tournament.
Fighting in the 54kg division, Harris copped a “walkover” in the opening bout, disrupting her preparation.
“It was really aggravating,” she said.
“They didn’t tell us until I literally went to walk out. I had been warming up and mentally preparing, and then was a delay and we just hung out in the entrance.
“Then we were told 20-30 minutes later that she had hurt her arm. I was very frustrated, but I did a session on the pads with my coach, hit the sauna and focused on the next bout.”
Harris was quick to put the problems behind her, dispatching her Russian opponent in the quarter-finals, before going down in the semifinal to Indian Kumari Devi Maisnam.
Collecting bronze, Harris also won the “most courageous” award, providing her with a confidence boost before the final tournament in Spain.
After 10 days of training in the lead-up, she battled a familiar face in Hungary’s Szucs Szabina in the opening round.
“I noticed her name and I thought I’d boxed her before,” Harris said.
“So I checked my record and I found a video of our last fight 12 months ago, so I knew what I was up against.
“I beat her back then and I beat her this time, too, putting me into the semis.”
Harris wasted no time against Spain’s Marina Carrasco Cortes, with the referee stopping the contest at the 2min 55sec mark of Round 1.
“I put three eight-counts on her and after the third one the ref called it off,” she said.
“I hit her with some overhand rights that put her on the ropes a few times.”
With a gold medal in sight, Harris battled American Christina Cruz in the final, recording a split-points decision win.
“After the disappointment in Turkey, I was absolutely stoked to have a good tournament in Spain,” she said.