Team GB boxing performance director McCracken believes squad has best medal chance

By Barrie White, Sportsbeat

TEAM GB boxing performance director Rob McCracken believes he has assembled the best squad possible to win medals at London 2012 and beyond.

READY: Team GB boxing performance director Rob McCracken is confident he has best squad to win medals

The final five places confirmed for the ten-strong squad included world champion Savannah Marshall, Natasha Jonas and veteran Nicola Adams in the first ever GB Women boxing team to compete at the Games.

And McCracken, in the role for more than two years, feels Marshall's recent world title win should give his experienced squad plenty of hope in their search of Olympic glory.

"I don't see why this can't be our best team for medals," said McCracken.

"We've got a good and strong team going to London, with a mix of experience, and we've got some tremendous boxers who are going to represent us.

"They've won medals throughout the world in the last three years, and there's no reason why they can't do that in London. We'll win medals, and we'll go on to Brazil and win medals.

"It's a big help that Savannah has won that world title. It's shown that you can get the gold medals and a few have looked at that, including Nicola Adams, and said ‘look, we can win gold, we've just got to get it smack on and get it right'.

"It's a good message she's sent out there."

There will be seven men competing alongside the three women, with Anthony Ogogo and Scotland's Josh Taylor taking the last two spots on the men's team.

McCracken believes creating an atmosphere of an expectation to win medals will help the boxers, as well as sending out the right message ahead of the Games.

He said: "I think that will take the pressure of the boxers, but we've shown over the last three years that we've done well.

"If we said to London ‘hopefully we can nick something', then it's not the right message to be sending out.

"We always want to win as many medals as we can, and that's what we'll do. I'm not standing here and saying ‘hopefully, hopefully', but we're going to do well and win some medals.

"We've got to say we're among the best in the world, let's concentrate on the next six-and-a-half weeks, let's get the training right, get the focus right and let's go and achieve things. There's no reason why we can't do that."

McCracken says the squad, captained by Liverpool's Tom Stalker, will now switch its focus onto ensuring the boxers will peak at the right time.

The team will head to a pre-tournament camp in France as McCracken strives to keep his boxers' eyes on the prize.

He said: "We're going to Buzet, which we always go to before a major.

"We get the focus right on the boxers by keeping them calm as there's going to be a lot of media stuff going into the Games - bigger than anything they've experienced.

"But they're experienced boxers in terms of championships and I'm sure we can keep a lid on all of that stuff, and keep them focussed on performing and winning medals."

© Sportsbeat 2012