Olympic history beckons for boxing’s Nicola Adams

Adams won her four-round semi-final against India’s Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte in confident style. The Yorkshire boxer dominated from the start of the fight, winning her first round 3-1.

Adams, reigning European champion, then went on to take the second round 2-1 and drew the third round 3-3. With the Indian fighter struggling to find a way into the contest, Adams kept things simple to boxer way into the final – winning the final round 3-2 giving a final score of 11-6.

Boxing debut

Women’s boxing makes its debut at 2012 following a hard-fought campaign to get the sport included, writes Channel 4 News producer Rebecca Horsbrugh. The 10 men’s events will be joined by three women’s: fly, middle and light. Adams, who was born in Leeds, is competing in the 51kg fly, the first of the three categories to be competed.

Coverage of the sport in the lead-up to the games has been slightly overshadowed by disagreements on whether the competitors could wear shorts or skirts. The International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) had debated whether it should be only the latter to distinguish female boxers from men. They finally agreed both were acceptable, in a decision that very much split the women’s boxing world.

Women's flyweight (51kg)

5 Aug 13.30: round of 16
6 Aug 13.30: quarter-finals
8 Aug 13.30: semi-finals 
9 Aug 16.30: finals

Bouts take place over four rounds of two minutes each. Boxers score points for every punch they land successfully on their opponent's head or upper body.

Nicola should have no problems competing in either, although she was critical of the AIBA’s plans for skirts, arguing that female footballers don’t have to wear them. So she is likely to turn up in traditional boxing shorts.

The 29-year-old has been competing for 11 years, and in 2001 became the first female boxer to represent England. Since then she has claimed three world championship silver medals, and in October she became the first British woman to win a major boxing title with victory at the European Championships.

That win crowned an amazing comeback for Adams, following a career-threatening back injury in 2009 and years of fighting with almost no funding and a distinct lack of critical acclaim.

Home advantage could be key to Adams’s success, however, and fans will be hoping to see her in the gold medal final on 9 August but first she will have to see off Indian five-time world champion Mary Kom.