THE scars of battle were evident in the yellow lump beneath her left eye, but there was no wiping the smile from Carly McNaul’s face after she secured a second consecutive Commonwealth Games medal in Birmingham yesterday.
McNaul came through a bruising last 16 encounter with Australia’s Kristy Harris on Sunday, hence the shiner, and could hardly have been more critical of her own performance in the aftermath.
But the 2018 silver medallist has a tendency to start slow and gather momentum when it matters. On the evidence of yesterday’s performance, this Games is following a similar trajectory as she produced a performance to be proud of, controlling all three rounds of her quarter-final bout against experienced Sri Lankan Keshani Hansika.
McNaul’s 12-year-old son Jaden flies into Birmingham today, in good time to see his mum’s bid to upgrade on bronze on Saturday afternoon – and the east Belfast woman was happy to show what she is all about.
“I can’t wait to see him,” she said, mopping the sweat from her brow, “love you to bits son.
“I’m over the moon to get a better performance than the last one. I actually thought she was going to come forward more. The tactics I was given worked really well for me, I was able to relax in there.
“In the last round I thought she would have tried really coming at me but she slowed the pace down even more, which was good.
“The first fight was very scrappy and a very high pace… I was disappointed in my performance because I wasn’t able to do anything that I had been working on. That was kind of like the old me.
“I wasn’t able to show stuff after saying I had a lot to give, so this time I was happy and I showed what I can do and not just be scrappy, coming forward and fighting through the heart. I’ve got skills as well.
“I told everyone I was terrible and would come out and put on a better performance in the next fight, which I’ve done.
“The next one will be better again.”
That will be against Ugandan Teddy Nakimuli, after Sierra Leone’s Canadian-born, Offaly-based reigning Irish bantamweight champion Sara Haghighat-Joo failed to make the weight yesterday morning.
Bizarrely, despite not having thrown a punch yet at this year’s Commonwealths, Nakimuli is guaranteed a bronze, after being originally handed a bye into the last eight.
McNaul doesn’t see her next opponent’s freshness as an issue – rather, having come through two fights already, the 33-year-old believes the hard yards so far will stand to her on Saturday.
“She might be coming in fresher but she doesn’t have an engine like I’ve got, she hasn’t experienced it [the Games].
“I’ve got two fights under my belt now, each and every fight I get better and better. Bring it on, I can’t wait. I am here for the gold - you all know that.
“As my performances go on with each fight, I’ll get better and better.”
The Carly McNaul story rolls on. Two years ago she stood on the brink of quitting boxing, unsure what the future held both inside and outside the ropes.
In the time between she has battled back from a broken femur and a scratched cornea to somehow steer her career back on track. Another step awaits.
“My love for boxing [kept me going], my love for my son.
“I’ll never give it up, I have a dream and I’m just going to keep going until I can’t go no more. The coaches say I’ve got great resilience… I just love boxing. I love to fight.”
Meanwhile, earlier in the day there was disappointment for Nicole Clyde after the Team NI corner pulled her out yesterday’s quarter-final at the end of the second round.
The Antrim minimumweight got no luck in the competition draw, having been paired with two-time World youth champion Nitu Ghangas, and the Indian was simply too slick and strong, punishing Clyde every time she tried to close the distance.
The 19-year-old was given standing counts in both the first and second round and, although she continued to bravely push forward, the Team NI coaches decided they had seen enough.
"Well today definitely didn’t go as I would have liked it to have went, but we move on, we learn from this experience and we use it for when I go again," Clyde posted on Facebook last night.
