Youth Olympics call-up a 'dream birthday present'

The day before her 17th birthday, Jaya Kalsi received a phone call with the kind of news that every young boxer dreams of.

The athlete, from Warwick, had been selected to represent Team GB at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, in what she described as an "amazing present to get".

With the Games getting under way on 31 October, Kalsi is preparing to fly out for what will be the highest-level competition of her career so far.

"I'm looking forward to it, it's a great honour to represent Team GB and my country," she said.

Speaking to BBC CWR, Kalsi said she had been training with Team GB in recent weeks in the gym and her preparations had gone "really well".

The Sikh fighter, who is ranked third in the world at her level and is a European gold medallist, will compete in the 54kg weight category and will find out who she is up against next month.

"The draw will happen when we're out there," she said. "It will be an amazing experience."

Kalsi hopes a strong performance can also be another step towards her long-term goal of competing at the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games, before eventually turning professional.

She said she was looking to bring home a gold medal.

"I aim to make it to the top, I'm looking to hopefully get a place on the 2028 Olympic squad and hopefully the 2032 Olympics and then go pro after that," she explained.

The boxer, who has trained at Cleary Boxing Gym in Leamington Spa since she was young, explained how she took up the sport from the age of seven, after being influenced by her father.

"I loved doing sports before that, I did swimming and karate but my dad, he was a massive fan of boxing so he got me into the sport," she said.

"He looked up to Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather, and he basically took me to the gym."

Irish boxer Katie Taylor, who recently ended her career as a three-time and two-weight undisputed champion, was a "massive inspiration" to her, Kalsi said, highlighting her impact on women's boxing.

She added that she was also inspired by former world champion Mayweather, with his "hard work and dedication".

"I look to achieve something like him in the future," she said.

The athlete will also be joined in Senegal by her mother, who she said had supported her all the way.

"I'm looking to bring back the Youth Olympic gold medal and get a step up," the boxer said.

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