Katie Taylor, is she amazing or what? Yes, Ms Taylor has been flying the flag for Irish women in the boxing arena and now she’s set to take on the Olympics.
Katie not only has a world title under her belt, she has also managed to bring home some serious bling in the form of various medals and trophies over the years. It goes without saying that we’ll all be behind her and cheering her on as she attempts to bring home another bit of gold for Ireland.
In the past few weeks everyone seems to have gotten a bit of ‘Katie Taylor fever’ although very few of us actually know anything about the woman behind the punches. So, here ladies, are five facts that you may not know about the girl with the golden gloves…
5. She started boxing when she was 12: Yes, Katie discovered her talent for throwing punches when she was just 12 years old. She picked up her first pair of boxing gloves in 1998 and probably had no idea just how far they’d take her. Bless.
In some ways it’s not surprising that Katie decided to start training – boxing was always in her blood. In fact her dad, Peter, was also a very successful amateur boxer in his heyday. Peter began to train his daughter and to this day, he’s still her coach. Well you know what they say – the family that boxes together, stays together.
4. She won her first world title in 2005: Katie managed to secure her place as a rising star in the sport when she won the European Amateur World Championships in 2005. Katie successfully defeated Eva Wahlstrom in the 60kg lightweight class to bring home the title.
3. She also plays football: Occasionally the boxer swaps her gloves for some football boots. Katie plays for Ireland’s Senior Women’s Football Team. And she’s pretty good at it too. Katie scored in the opening of Ireland’s big match with Hungary in 2007.
But despite her love of football, Katie will never give up boxing.
“I love playing for Ireland, and I love soccer, but when it comes down to it I would choose boxing as my number one sport as I’d miss it too much if I wasn’t involved,” said Katie once upon a time, when asked if she’d ever exchange her gloves for goals in the future.
2. She recently joined Twitter: As a sporting star, Katie keeps to herself. You’re definitely not likely to see pictures of her falling out of nightclubs or read reports of her having a go at someone on Facebook. That being said, ahead of her stint at the Olympics, the Bray native has given in and set herself up a Twitter account. It’s still fairly quiet at the minute, but once the Olympics kicks off, we imagine that Katie’s tweets will be seriously addictive. You can follow her at @ktboxing
1. The boys absolutely love her: A woman that’s gorgeous and that understands the dynamics of football? It’s no wonder that Katie has a large following of male fans out there. In fact, earlier this year she came fourth in a poll to find Ireland’s most desirable Valentine. We wonder how many cards she got in the post?
