Eccles eyes medals ‘trilogy’ in Games farewell
Welsh boxer Rosie Eccles is aiming to win a third Commonwealth Games medal in Glasgow, in what is likely to be the final tournament of her career. The Caldicot light-middleweight, who won gold at the 2022 Birmingham Games, left the GB Boxing set-up in March and turned 30 on the day she carried the Welsh flag at the opening ceremony, saying she has "more fire than ever" as she bids to become the first boxer to retain the Commonwealth title.
Eccles joined the full-time Welsh Boxing programme aged 18 while studying at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and has previously competed at the Olympics. She has overcome significant setbacks, including back and knee injuries and nerve damage linked to coronavirus that at one point cost her 90% function in her right arm for nine months, as well as a "nasty" knee injury requiring surgery last year. Head coach Colin Jones credited her resilience and recent gold medals at two European tournaments, saying she is someone who "will never lay down to anything that gets in her way".
- Rosie Eccles targets third Commonwealth boxing medal in Glasgow
- Likely her final tournament; aims to retain 2022 gold
- Fought back from serious injuries and nerve damage to compete
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Rosie Eccles is a Welsh light-middleweight boxer from Caldicot who has built a career at the highest levels of amateur boxing. She won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and has previously competed for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
Throughout her career, Eccles has faced significant setbacks including serious injuries to her back, knee and nerve damage from coronavirus that at one point left her right arm with only 10 per cent function for nine months. She underwent knee surgery within the past year, yet has since returned to winning form with gold medals at two recent European tournaments.