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Lauren Price had already become the first Welsh boxer to make it to the Olympics by her mere presence in Tokyo. Then she went through three innings with precision and focus to reach the semi-final, securing an Olympic medal regardless of the end of the day. She had done all of this after a remarkable and varied athletic career in which she won over 50 caps for Wales in football and established herself as an elite kickboxer.
But she wanted more. She always wants more. And in a tense tactical fight against one of her most familiar enemies, she got it. Price qualified for the Olympic final by the narrowest margins, beating Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands by the tightest margins, 3-2 in a split decision. Number one seeded Price will now face second seeded Chinese Li Qian for the gold medal.
“It’s a dream of mine to go to the Olympics, become an Olympian and get a medal, I can’t believe it,” she said. “I’m in the final now and it’s a dream come true. I’m not stopping now – my goal is to win this gold medal. I’ll give it my all. “
The semi-final rekindled a rivalry that spanned World, European and now Olympic championship fights. Most notably, Price dramatically won the world title in 2019 by beating Fontijn on appeal after being initially declared the loser. Price says the hype caused her to give up social media in the morning.
“I had to stop looking at my phone because of the amount of tweets I’ve had, saying how many times we’ve faced each other, Europeans, worlds, everything. I can’t look at that too much. I respect her a lot, she is a world class fighter, we know each other by heart and it will always be so close. “
It helps that their styles contrast perfectly as well. Fontijn is 5ft 11in tall and put his full size and strength on the front foot, while the 5ft 6in prize was in constant motion, landing quick combinations on quick raids before quickly escaping. Price said she anticipated a slower start from Fontijn than in their other fights, but the two were immediately present in an intense first round.
Fontijn narrowly won the first round, but Price gained momentum and edged out the second. She was still in a precarious position heading into the third round, trailing on the scorecards of four of the five judges who were also deducted one point for excessive detention. Under the weight of Olympic pressure, Price produced her best of the day when it counted, hitting and dodging punches with feathered footwork as she convincingly won third.
“I was down 3-2, which isn’t 5-0, so it’s not too far,” she said. “He was one of them, I scored a point, I’ve been there a few times so it’s nothing new to me. I didn’t panic too much about it, trust my corner, and knew I had to give it my all. I picked up my pace and felt that I had won the last heat quite comfortably with my speed and movement.
The fight ended with the Dutchwoman winning two of the judges and losing one as two had ended in a draw. According to the contest rules, the two judges with randomly drawn scorecards were tasked with choosing their preferred winner to break the tie. The two chose the prize.
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While Price was bathed in the satisfaction of his great victory, five meters in the mixed zone, his 33-year-old rival shelled his defeat. Fontijn has had a fulfilling and satisfying career, although she has never been able to win a big title at the world level. She won silver at Rio 2016 in addition to her bronze in Tokyo. She became a finalist at the world championships, winning silver medals in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
It has been a tournament filled with tears and despair at the death of Olympic dreams, but there was none here. When asked what was going to happen to her and whether she would end her career or head to Paris 2024, her face lit up with a broad smile, then she nodded. “Yeah, I’m done,” she said.
