Gold for Lauren, the boxing champ who drove a taxi to fund training
TAXI-DRIVING boxer Lauren Price won Britain’s final gold medal at Tokyo yesterday to fulfil an incredibly ambitious childhood dream.
When she was eight, Lauren told a teacher she had three goals – to be a world champion kickboxer, play football for Wales and go to the Olympics. Her teacher laughed but Price has now achieved them all.
The 27-year-old, who was a world champion kickboxer by 12 and has earned 52 caps as a footballer for Wales, punched her way to Olympic gold yesterday to complete the set.
When she opted to chase her dream of Olympic boxing glory over her promising football career with Cardiff City, she helped make ends meet by driving a taxi at weekends. In an interview with the Duke of Cambridge before she set off for the Tokyo Games, she said: ‘I picked up all the drunks on a Friday and Saturday night.’ He laughed: ‘I bet they didn’t mess with you, Lauren.’
She dedicated her medal yesterday to her inspirational grandfather, who died of dementia in November. He had introduced her to boxing when she was eight and was robbed of seeing her win when the pandemic delayed the Games. Miss Price was raised by her grandmother Linda, 67, and her grandfather Derek, in the Welsh Valleys town of Ystrad Mynach after her parents abandoned her when she was three days old.
When the boxing judges announced their verdict, she looked to the sky and pointed in tribute to her grandfather, before saying: ‘[Linda] always encouraged me, spent thousands of pounds to send me to tournaments, so this is for them.’ She added: ‘A big shout out to my nan,’
Prince William tweeted: ‘Congratulations! I know your nan Linda and the whole of Ystrad Mynach will be so proud.’