Boxing siblings Aidan and Michaela Walsh will be hoping to go one better in Birmingham at the Commonwealth Games than they did four years ago at the Gold Coast.
The brother and sister duo both left Australia with silver medals, Aidan losing to the world-ranked No.1 fighter Pat McCormick.
Walsh was set to meet the English man again in the semi-final of the Tokyo Olympics last summer but a freak accident celebrating his quarter-final win meant the west Belfast boxer had to settle for a bronze medal while McCormick turned pro after Japan.
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Michaela had won silver in Glasgow in 2014 losing a hotly disputed decision against England’s Nicola Adams, four years later Walsh reached another Commonwealth Games facing home fighter Australia’s Skye Nicholson.
The Team NI fighter was on the wrong side of a 3-2 decision by the judges.
“It’s my third Commonwealth Games everyone is different and I’m really looking forward to it, obviously to go again with my brother is very proud for me, Aidan and the family,” stated Michaela.
“I think this time we can go one better than the silver and take home the gold.”
“To have two silver medals is something that I am very proud of, to win a gold it is something that burns deep inside of me after losing out and being so so close.”
“This time I hope I can use that drive and go one step further and take home the gold.”
“It would mean everything to win a gold medal, the Commonwealth Games is such a big tournament for me, it would have been one of my first ever big tournaments.”
Michaela is looking forward to a second Games with her younger brother.
“The Gold Coast was a great experience, it was sort of good we both got silver because I would have been raging if he had of got a gold and I didn’t.”
“It was great for both of us to get to the final and to be so close to a gold medal and when I look back it means more to me that we both got to go together and experience it together in Australia.”
“We had a training camp and everything out there before it, it was a great tournament, and it is something that I am very proud of.”
The siblings bother experience the delayed Tokyo Olympics last year with contrasting fortunes, Michaela lost her first bout with Aidan made the podium.
“Aidan’s an unbeaten Olympian, I think he would have won the high jump so they should have given him the gold for that but his ankles are all good now, so he is lucky that way,” joked Michaela.
“Tokyo was amazing, it would have been great to have my family, friends and everyone there but obviously with Covid it couldn’t be done.”
“I was just so happy to be able to go and compete at the Olympics, to see my brother win a medal was unbelievable so it was good that way.”
“I had a very close fight with Irma Testa of Italy (last 16), we have fought three times and it is 2-1 to her, so hopefully I can get her back in a tournament later on in the future because Italy aren’t in the Commonwealth’s unfortunately so I’ll have to wait to get her back later on in the year.”
Aidan will be favourite to take the gold in his weight category but he is well used to handling the expectation.
““For me I just want to enjoy it as much as I can, looking back in years to come this will be a blink of an eye,” said Aidan
“Of course there is a lot of pressure but pressure is always something that I have had to dealt with growing up with Michaela and who she is and the record she has of international medals.”
“So I have had to always live up to that and she has always put a lot of pressure on me to see how well I could do and to be coming here an Olympic medallist going into the Commonwealth Games it is something amazing.”
“It would be great to get a gold, looking back I now try to enjoy it as much as I can, do your best and that is all you can ask for so fingers crossed but you never know what could happen but that is what we are aiming for.”
Walsh has had time to reflect on the Olympics.
“An undefeated Olympian a few people have said that to me,” laughed Walsh.
“It’s great because who know how far I could have gone, and it is something going forward in the Commonwealth Games how far can I go.”
“It was just a freak accident, looking back now I didn’t realise I could jump that high and now I know not to do it in the future if I ever get to that point again which I hope to do, it is great to be an Olympian.”
“For me it is going into the unknown of how far I can go, I’m willing to test myself and looking forward see how far I can get.”
Michaela has been an inspiration to Aidan.
“It is my second Commonwealth Games along with my sister and it is her third games which is great.”
“This is my second Commonwealth Games and I don’t know if I’ll be about for the next one, my main goal is to go a bit further than I went the last time and just trying to enjoy it and soak it all in because before you know it goes in a flash.”
“I’m really looking forward to it and to do it again with my sister is amazing and to do it with great people and for my boxing club it is great.”
“Michaela and me were always really close and we still are, she is my best friend, someone who I confide in, someone I trust massively and she is a massive part of my success and my career.”
“If she hadn’t of been boxing, I don’t think I would have been here, so she always expects the best of me and vice versa and together it I great to have each other.”
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