Nicola Adams

British boxing’s leading female competitors Nicola Adams is amongst the favourites for gold in the flyweight division. After taking up the sport at the age of 16, Adams was training with England’s elite squad within two years and has gone on to have a highly successful career. The first female boxer to represent England, she won the English title in 2003 and successfully defended her crown at the next three times of asking. The first English woman to win a major tournament medal, Adams picked up silver at the 2007 European Championships in Denmark and followed it up with silver medals at the 2008 and 2010 World Championships - the latter at flyweight having moved up a division. She became the first British woman to ever win a major international boxing title with gold at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships, but will need to reverse recent disappointments against Poland’s Karolina Michalczuk and China’s Cancan Ren if she is to triumph in London. Coach Gerry Willmott believes that the 29-year-old is Team GB’s best hope for a boxing gold at the Games.