Rosie Eccles wins gold medal for Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham [Getty Images]
Britain’s Rosie Eccles has confirmed she has her sights set on the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The 28-year-old controversially withdrew from this summer’s Paris Olympics after losing a split decision to Poland’s Aneta Rygielska in the women’s 66kg boxing competition.
Eccles dominated throughout the three-round welterweight bout, but after winning the first fight, the judges’ scorecards placed her second behind Rygielska in the next two bouts – the Polish fighter. Even after being deducted one point late in the third round for not being able to keep her head up.
The boxer has praised the support he has received from Welsh Boxing since returning from the fight.
“I probably still have a hard time being honest about how things happened,” Eccles said.
“It was really difficult to go out there to win a gold medal, or at least bring a medal home, and then come back empty-handed under those conditions.
“I think in sports sometimes someone has a better day than you and you have to be able to just absorb it, but that wasn’t the case this time. I really want to move forward. I felt like I didn’t have anything to show.”Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t aim for gold or even a medal.
“The support from Welsh Boxing has been incredible. I struggled really hard but they gave me great support.”
Former Olympic and Commonwealth champion Lauren Price has turned professional following her triumph at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Less than three years later, Price became Wales’ first female world champion boxer, but Eccles says she has no intention of turning professional as she prepares to make Welsh boxing history herself.
“Because of my style of punching, people have always asked me about going professional. There are only two real dreams I’ve ever had, and that’s the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. ” Eccles added.
“I said I’d never hang up the gloves again and now I’m back and I’m not quite done yet. I’m setting my sights on the next Commonwealth Games. No one has ever finished third before. ” Medal for Wales in boxing.
“Without a doubt, this will be my last Commonwealth Games, but until then I’ll keep going and when my body is done, it’s over, but if I have more strength, let’s squeeze what we can out of it.
“If I quit, I would always regret it and ask myself what ifs. It wouldn’t be a good way to leave the sport if it ended like that.
“Even if things don’t go my way, I just want to give whatever little bit of what’s left in me, especially for Wales.”
Is Los Angeles a step too far?
The next Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028, so while Eccles isn’t thinking directly about the Olympics, she says she’s not closing off the chance to return to the Olympic stage.
Eccles told BBC Sport Wales: “It’s too far away and too painful to see Los Angeles in person at the moment. But in the future, when it comes to the world of sport, you never know what’s going to happen.” Ta.
“I’ll see what else makes sense to me, it might be LA, it might not be.
“For now I’m going to be based back in Wales a little bit and that’s going to be good for me. I’m away from home five days a week, which is tough and there’s a lot of traveling.
“I want to get my love back for boxing, get my health back and get things back on track. I’m saying don’t make decisions when you’re not healthy, make decisions after you get back into the sport. I will.”
“It’s also about the next generation coming in. I want to help and build on the role in Wales and England, and I really want to support that next generation.”
Only 10 events will be held at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) has not yet revealed the details.
Athletics and swimming will no doubt be featured as mandatory sports by the Commonwealth Games Federation in 2021.
Organizers can choose from a list of 22 other major sports, including boxing.