Australia's Caitlin Parker: “I wanted to prove that being female wasn’t going to stop me.”

Caitlin Parker came across boxing.almost by accident.

The Australian’s sporting journey in martial arts began when the then nine-year-old's father refused to let her walk to school alone unless she had the ability to defend herself.

“He insisted that I got a black belt in Taekwondo!” Parker told Olympics.com ahead of the 2023 Pacific Games boxing Olympic qualifier in the Solomon Islands.

“I was always a bit big, so I’d be aged nine fighting a 15 year old. But that experience taught me to be confident and really pushed me to the limits even from a young age.

“I also did a little bit of jiu jitsu and grappling, but after getting my black belt in taekwondo as an 11-year-old I decided to try something new.

“There was a boxing gym close to our home and it really stuck with me as soon as I tried it. I just loved how technical it was, how it’s full-body fitness, and how any body type can do it.

“I thought I was fit, but I soon realised in the first class that boxing fitness was completely different and no matter what you’ve done in the past, it’ll take it out of you!”

“My first exhibition was against a 25 year old woman, and I also trained with a boy who was the Australian age group champion which helped build my confidence again as I was super shy at first and just hid behind my parents in the gym.”

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Proving that she could compete in male-dominated sports

Parker quickly adapted to her new sport.

After two years of training, she had her first fight at 13, became a national champion at 14, and made the Australian national team at 15.

Today, the 27-year-old’s resume reads Youth Olympic Games bronze, two-time Commonwealth Games medal winner, Olympian, multiple national champion, and a middleweight silver medallist at the 2023 World Championships.

Despite being blessed with athletic talent, the secret to Parker’s success perhaps lies within proving people wrong and breaking gender stereotypes.

“There's always been something in me that wants to prove myself and to everyone else that I’m good enough, and that being female wasn’t going to stop me,” she continued.

“It probably started in rugby when I was the only girl in the team and I could hear the boys on the other team making comments. I made it my objective to show everyone that I can be better than the boys.

“It was exactly the same in the boxing ring, especially when I was young because I always had to spar with the boys as there weren’t many girls around. The boys didn’t want to punch me to start with, but after I got them with a few shots, they definitely wanted to get competitive and get me back!”

“Boxing has really made me the person that I am today.”

Women’s boxing made its Olympic debut at London 2012 with just three weight categories.

Parker knew that she would be too young to be there, but competing at Rio 2016 quickly became her dream.

The Perth native won the Australian championships and everything seemed to be going according to plan until she lost in the first round of the international qualifying event.

“In boxing, that's it. There's no second chances. You lose, you're out,” she said.

“That was the most heartbreaking thing because I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of not progressing. I didn't want to go home and face all my family and friends who also truly believed that I was gonna go and I didn't want to let them down.

Making dreams come true at Tokyo 2020

Parker rechannelled all of her efforts into making the plane for Tokyo 2020.

The hard work paid off in March 2020, when she beat Kazakhstan's Nadezhda Ryabets by unanimous decision in the semi-finals of the Asia and Oceania Olympic qualification tournament to confirm her place at the Games.

“It was the best moment of my life. I sank to the floor in the ring and it was just so emotional, it was the best feeling in the world to finally accomplish that childhood dream, going to the pinnacle of elite sport.”

After difficulties of lockdown suffered by all athletes, the IOC Solidarity Scholarship holder wasn’t able to find her perfect performance in Japan, and went out in the Round of 16 by split decision to Panama’s 2014 world champion Atheyna Bylon.

“Despite being so relieved to make the Olympics, I was surrounded by this dark cloud again having not accomplished what I set out to do.”

How cricket legend Adam Gilchrist helped Caitlin Parker

Fortunately for Parker, she was able to call upon her mentor and Australian cricket legend, Adam Gilchrist, for advice in times like that.

The pair first connected through the Sports Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship in 2015, when Parker was emerging in the elite youth boxing scene.

Gilchrist offered her some great advice, and they have stayed in touch ever since.

“You would think that cricket and boxing would have nothing in common, but there are so many commonalities and experiences that we go through as elite athletes,” Parker explained.

“I was able to ask him questions about how to deal with pressure, and how to deal with nerves. That was the big one.

“There was an experience that I had when I was a bit younger where someone was trying to do the typical boxing stare down at me. I didn’t know how to deal with that and Gilly’s like ‘Just do the talking with your punches.’ That was just the best advice. You don't have to worry about any of that other stuff. At the end of the day, I've got two arms, two legs, she's got two arms, two legs, we're gonna go and the best boxer is gonna come out of it.”

Caitlin Parker's best-ever Olympic cycle

Armed with a plethora of boxing experience, Parker approaches the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in her best ever form.

At the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, she avenged her defeat in Tokyo to Bylon by beating the Paneman in the quarter-finals, before dispatching Kazakhstan’s 2016 welterweight world champion Valentina Khalzova by unanimous decision to make the final.

Parker was edged out by local fighter Lovlina Borgohain in a split decision in the gold medal match, but the Australian’s silver medal was tangible proof of how far she had come as a boxer.

“I know that through this cycle coming into Paris, I’m in such a different place mentally. I've taken so much from my previous disappointment and I'll do whatever it takes not to feel those feelings again.

“I changed coaches and I'm now more aggressive coming forward. If they wanna come at me and try to box me beautiful, I've got something for that and I’m equally happy in the clinch, so I can adapt in the ring to every kind of opponent that comes at me.

Aiming to become Australia's first boxing gold medallist

Olympic boxing will achieve gender parity for the first time at Paris 2024, with 248 quota places being equally distributed between men and women.

There will also be six weight classes for women, one more than at Tokyo 2020.

“Seeing the growth of women's boxing has been so great. When I went to the Youth Olympics in Nanjing and there were only three Olympic divisions meaning that a lot of girls had to lose or gain a lot of weight in order to compete.

“We're so strong and we've proven ourselves time and time again. I'm just so excited to keep seeing the growth and make sure that I'm there with it.”

For Parker, there is no better time to try and make history for Australia women’s boxing.

“My goal is to be Australia's first ever Olympic gold medallist in boxing and Australia's first ever female medallist,” she said.

“I feel like my purpose in life right now. I don't get punched in the face every day for nothing!

"I'm so excited to show the world and show Australia what I'm capable of at the Paris Olympic Games - I can't wait. The countdown's on.”