![]() Sara had come to New Delhi for the World Championships in 2018. Looking back at it, that may have played a role in her development.” Instead of competing at the highest level and dealing with that pressure, we were getting the highest-level activity without the pressure. “To be honest, I think it (the three-year break) may have helped. “She was active, and I was sending her to camps, with people I trust, so that she could be with the best girls and compete with them and judge her level,” Steven said. She was winning and gaining confidence to be able to take advantage of the opportunity that eventually fell her way. During a three-year period of inactivity – two of which are mandatory for international boxers changing their national allegiances – from 2018 to 2021, Sara spent much of her time as a personal trainer to make ends meet.ĭuring that time, however, her husband and coach Steven Bailey, had her competing in lower-rung events in Ireland, where she won the nationals twice. When boxing in her home country, Sara was rarely sent to international events, and was not funded adequately, having to fend for herself through crowdfunding and a job as a personal trainer and boxing coach. She says that these kinds of opportunities were usually rare back home anyway, so much so that many of her former colleagues have seen her journey and considered using their secondary passport or dual citizenship to compete internationally. In effect, this means Sara will be the only Canadian boxer in the Indian capital this week. Top boxers from Canada, the USA, Ireland, Great Britain, and Sweden will also give the event a miss after their federations decided to boycott the event majorly due to the IBA – whose president is Russian – allowing Russian and Belarusian boxers to compete under their flags. The World Championships in Delhi will not be an Olympic qualifying event due to a standoff between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This can act as a huge opportunity to get prepared for the Olympic qualifiers and the Olympics, so it’s massive.” Sara Haghighat Joo. If these events are not put on, we don’t get exposure to Europe or Asia, and the boxers from these areas. Growing the sport for them is a big goal for me,” she said. “Every time I win, the federation gets funding. The pugilist says that performing and winning big medals for the lesser-known nations can be a huge boost for athletes of the entire region. Sara was in Mozambique in September at the African Championships, where she won gold under Sierra Leone’s flag.
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