Natasha Jonas and Bianca Walkden on the Paris Olympics

Tonight the Liverpool boxer Natasha Jonas will defend her world welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer – cheered on by an enthusiastic home crowd.

From the moment she became the first British female boxer to qualify for the Olympics in 2012 – Jonas has been a huge inspiration to a generation of young women in sport.

And when this year’s Games open in Paris, they’ll be the first to commit to an equal number of male and female athletes.