Kiaran Macdonald has dreamed of boxing at the Olympics ever since he first put on a pair of gloves.
He now has the chance to put himself in Pole position for a ticket to Paris 2024, if you forgive the obvious pun.
Macdonald is part of the GB team in Poland for the third staging of the European Games, which got under way on Wednesday with the boxing programme opening on Friday.
It is the first of three qualifying events for next summer’s Olympics which, at the time of writing, is only 400 days away.
Two spots are up for grabs at Kiaran’s division – there are four places in some other weights – which means he must reach the final in Krakow.
But motivation is strong – as well as it being his lifelong ambition, he has declined opportunities to join the paid ranks in order to have a bash at Paris.
“Success here will take me one step closer to my goal of boxing for my country at the Olympics,” said the 26-year-old Sunderland ABC star, who trains out of the GB programme at the English Institute of Sport.
“It has been my childhood dream, ever since I first pulled on a pair of gloves when I was nine.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with promoters and management teams [about turning pro].
“I might have even had a couple of fights by now had I done it.
“But I think I’d have been gutted if another guy got to wear the GB vest in Paris.
“My pro career might go well and that’s the plan, but if I’d have done it without going for the Olympics I just don’t think I’d have felt fulfilled.”
Sunderland and the Olympics have enjoyed a beautiful relationship.
Tony Jeffries won a bronze medal in Beijing in 2008, while Josh Kelly boxed in the 2016 games in Rio with Pat McCormack, born in Sunderland but from down the A183 in Washington, taking a silver medal in Tokyo in 2021.
Macdonald told punchlines that emulating Jaffa was a driving factor, along with his reluctance to hand over his amateur vest to someone else.
“If someone else had taken my dream I don’t think I could handle it,” said the quality southpaw.
“Tony Jeffries brought an Olympic medal back to Sunderland [in 2008] and I dream of doing the same.
“If I don’t qualify I know I’ll have done my best, but if I hadn’t tried and just turned pro I’d always regret it.”
Kiaran is one of the 13-strong boxing squad and will be joined by male team-mates Jack Dryden, Reese Lynch, Harris Akbar, Lewis Williams and Delicious Orie plus female sextet Demie-Jade Resztan, Charley Davison, Elise Glynn, Shona Whitwell, Rosie Eccles and Kerry Davis.
The boxers join a team of 177 Team GB athletes set to compete across 18 Olympic disciplines throughout a 12-day sporting programme.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: GB Boxing
