AN EMOTIONAL KATIE Taylor has expressed her delight following her gold medal win over Russia’s Sofya Ochigavaearlier today.
Speaking to RTE, she described her feelings of ecstasy.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment so many times before,” she said. “I just can’t believe it. I want to thank everyone for all their prayers over the last week.”
And Taylor admitted that she was feeling the pressure ahead of the fight.
“I was so nervous all day – it’s the most nervous I’ve been all my life for a fight, naturally enough.“I tried to stay calm and composed throughout the day. It was hard to relax. I couldn’t eat all day.”
She explained how she was not surprised that she was made to work extremely hard for her victory.
“I knew it was going to be a close fight – it always is between me and Sofia, she’s a fantastic boxer.”
And there was an anxious wait for the result in the aftermath of the fight, with Taylor revealing that she was not sure of the outcome.
“I didn’t know [the result] to be honest, the last round was very close.“There was a bit of a delay at the end and I thought it went to a countback, and maybe if it went to a countback I wouldn’t have won, as she threw more punches than me.
“It was such a close contest, but thank God it went my way.”
Asked if she was concerned by the fact that her opponent led after the second round, Taylor said:
“Not at all. It’s only one point at the end of the day. I just had to stay calm throughout the fight.”
And despite the controversial remarks made by Ochigavaearlier prior to the fight, she was dignified in her assessment of the Russian, congratulating her for “a brilliant fight”.
