Nyika gets his ticket to Tokyo
Heavyweight boxer David Nyika is the latest New Zealand athlete confirmed for the Tokyo Olympics. The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist was officially named to the New Zealand team by Chef de Mission Rob Waddell in Hamilton on Wednesday.
Nyika, 25, would be the first male New Zealand boxer to compete at the Olympics since the 2004 Athens Games.
“This has been on my bucket list since I was five years old,” he said.
“To get this recognition and to be selected to the New Zealand team is such an honour.
“Now I can’t wait to get there and put on my best performance at the Olympics.”
Nyika earned his Olympic spot after finishing runner-up in the Asia-Oceania qualifying tournament last year.
He was currently seeded second in the heavyweight division.
“I was a skinny kid so I originally wanted to be an Olympic marathon runner but that dream started to fade when I grew over six foot,” Nyika said.
“I switched my focus to boxing when I was 14, from there it quickly became a goal to be an Olympic boxer and I’ve been working towards that ever since.”
Nyika would be largely based overseas for his Games preparation, with an Olympic camp in the US before a training stint in the UK.
That followed his professional debut last month, where he collected a bizarre first round knockout win over Auckland’s Jesse Maio on the undercard of Joseph Parker’s win over Junior Fa.
Nyika’s selection took the total number of New Zealand athletes named to the team for Tokyo to 30.