Caitlin Parker: "When I had my hand raised, I was so happy. It was just incredible that I had secured an Olympic medal."

By FightPost: MMA & Boxing News on 11th Sep 2024

Life has been beyond hectic for Caitlin Parker. Celebrating her sweetest moment. A never-ending amount of media obligations. The Australian has every right to enjoy her moment. A bronze medal in the recent Paris Olympics. The first-ever Australian female to win a medal inside a boxing ring. A little slice of history that Parker will forever cherish.

"I want to win an Olympic gold medal more than anything. It's what I think about all the time. It's all I have ever dreamed of," Parker told me in June. She showed me her cracked mobile phone over Zoom. The screensaver epitomised that dream. A little daily reminder of what she was chasing. The victory over her Moroccan opponent Khadija El Mardi in Paris earned Parker that cherished Olympic medal. Life hasn't been the same since.

"I thought with all the excitement of Paris and getting on the Olympic podium that when I got home, it would all just end, and it would go back to reality," Parker told me over Zoom. "But it hasn't really hit me yet. It still feels unreal. Seeing everyone and feeling the love and the support that is around me. I just didn't know how many people would be cheering me on, staying up all night to watch me. I can feel all the support. There was a parade when I got home down my local street, where everyone came out."

For Parker, it was her second Olympic experience. She competed in Tokyo. A subdued sterile Olympic Games that took place with Covid restrictions. But Paris was a sharp contrast to Tokyo. In many ways, it was everything that Tokyo wasn't. The contrast isn't lost on Parker, but she is still appreciative of Tokyo, but competing in France was a much sweeter experience for her.

"With Tokyo, I was super-grateful that we even had the Olympics with all that was going on. So, to be able to go to the Olympics, I am really grateful that I had that experience. It taught me a lot. Not having fought for eighteen months wasn't really the ideal preparation. But not wanting to make excuses, it just wasn't meant to be for Tokyo. But coming to Paris and getting to fight in front of a massive crowd, and everyone watching at home. People were having watch parties at home in different locations. Everyone came together to support me, I could just feel the difference in the atmosphere. Everything kind of came together for me personally. It just felt right. The mind. The body. Everything was on. I just had so much fun out there."

Unlike Tokyo, Parker had the perfect preparation for Paris. Lack of pre-games ring time and hampered by extremely strict lockdown protocols, Parker did well to even reach Tokyo. But Paris was different. This time, she was fully prepared.

"I had done my homework," Parker said. "I did a lot of video analysis with my coaches of the opponents I could have faced. There were only two whom I hadn't come across before, either sparred or fought. I got them both in the first two rounds. So there was a bit of uncertainty in that."

Citlalli Ortiz was her first opponent. A tough Mexican with professional experience. A hard start, but Parker safely navigated herself through a difficult opening fight in her second Olympic tournament.

"I just didn't want to go out in the first round. I didn't want a repeat of Tokyo," words that say plenty. Parker was now up and running. But an even tougher challenge awaited her in the quarter-final. But it was a fight with history on the line for the Australian.

"For Khadija El Mardi, I knew I had to refocus because she was a really tough opponent. I don't even know when she last lost a fight. She's been winning everything, including the World Championships. I knew I had to keep my head off the line, be smart, and be fast because she was really committed to her punches. I found my rhythm quite early. Again, I really enjoyed being in that Olympic ring and having the crowd and my friends around me. When I had my hand raised, I was so happy. It was just incredible that I had secured an Olympic medal.

"There was relief as well because boxing is boxing. Anything can happen. You can have a bad day. You can land a punch that can change a whole round. It's 100% relief, happiness, and every other emotion, knowing everything has played out exactly how you hoped it would."

Qian Li of China was next for Parker. A semi-final that with a victory would give her a chance to fight for a gold medal. But after a strong opening round, Li edged Parker on the cards, despite many including this observer, thinking she had done enough in the final round to clinch the fight.

"In the ring, I felt I that got it in the 3rd round, Parker says of her fight with Li. "But I haven't watched it back yet, and it is always different watching it back. A lot of people have said that I won it. But I am not holding onto that because it would kind of ruin the experience for me. I am happy and proud of everything that I have put into this. I will watch it back, but I am not ready for that yet, I don't want it to turn into a negative."

While still in celebration mode, Parker is still eyeing up her next move. At 28, she is seeking pastures new.

"At the minute, I am just enjoying a bit of time at home because it's been a crazy preparation, and it's been pretty much non-stop since the Tokyo Olympics. I have been representing Australia for thirteen years and won a medal at every major international tournament. I am now ready for a new challenge. I would like to turn pro. I always want to challenge myself and keep improving. But I'm not ruling out the LA Olympics because we can do both now."

Eddie Hearn has expressed an interest in signing Parker to a professional contract. Skye Nicolson, a long-time friend of Parker, is already signed to Matchroom, and their partnership has been incredibly successful. The connection for Parker joining her friend is obvious. "I had a chat with Eddie, but we'll have to wait and see. I just have to explore all my options first."

Caitlin Parker will decide her next move in the coming weeks and months. But after the disappointment of Tokyo, Paris was everything Parker had dreamed of. I first interviewed her in 2021, "I still have my dream of that Olympic gold medal, I want that medal so bad," was the headline I used for that interview. Nearly three years on, that dream has now become a reality.