Luke Campbell looks ahead to Team GB boxers at Rio 2016

By Tim Hobbs

With Rio 2016 finally upon us, who better to look back at Team GB's successful London 2012 than Luke Campbell.

He was one of Great Britain's three boxing gold medal winners four years ago, but we want to know what went on behind closed doors at the Olympic Village, how nervous he was and what it was like standing on the podium with the national anthem playing.

Campbell recalls the magical moments that will live with him forever...

Meet Team GB's boxers

Ed Robinson takes you through the 12 fighters flying the flag at Rio 2016...

It's been four years since you were the centre of attention. Are you missing the Olympics?

I can't believe how quickly these four years have gone since London and winning the gold medal. It has brought some memories back but I am excited to watch the boxing from Rio.

Will you be sat up all hours watching the boxing, especially Team GB?

Image: Campbell will be watching the Team GB try and bring medals back from Rio

Definitely. I am excited to watch it because when I was in them I didn't watch any Olympic boxing whatsoever. Now it's my chance to actually sit back and enjoy it.

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Going back to London 2012, what was the Olympic Village like? Was it easy to get distracted?

I know there was a lot going on but I had a routine and just stayed in that, I wasn't there wandering around, checking things out. I was just in the zone, focused on what I needed to do and how I had to prepare to get the best out of myself.

What sort of distractions did you have to avoid?

Image: There was plenty of free food, even for the then Mayor of London

Food-wise there was all sorts. Free McDonald's and all the food in all the canteens was free, but when you are trying to make weight, I couldn't touch any of it. There was all sorts of cuisines and it was good but I couldn't really eat anything because I was always making weight.

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There's got to be more than that in the Village. Did anything else stand out?

Well once the games had started and people were knocked out of their tournament in all different types of sport, they would be out partying because they had nothing else to do. Sometimes I'd be going for breakfast at 6am, and see all sorts of athletes, sportsmen, coming in drunk from the night before! 

How did you fill the days between fights?

Image: On days between fights there was plenty of rest, rest and more rest

Train, then recover basically. They were the only two things we were worried about - and fighting of course. Ice baths, physios, everything you needed to fully recover.

Team GB boxing was a close-nit team of nine, but did you make friends with anyone from another sport?

Not really. We didn't really see anyone else where we were. Maybe when you went to the physio area you'd see other people, but generally, no. I remember going into the physio room one time to get some treatment and there were a few girls from a hockey team and one of them had been smashed in the face with a hockey stick and broke her cheekbone and I just remember thinking 'wow! That's got to hurt' - and I am a boxer!

What about the other boxing nations... were there any unknown quantities on your way to gold medal glory?

Image: Japan's Satoshi Shimizu came from nowhere but had to settle for bronze

For me the only unknown was in the semi-final, Satoshi Shimizu from Japan. He seemed to come out of nowhere and started beating the other kids and you're always a bit cautious when you are in with someone you don't know too much about who is doing really well.

Presumably there was a flipside or did everyone know about Team GB because they were the hosts?

One thing people didn't know was how good our boxing team was. We added a lot of medals to that table in the end. For a small nine-man team to add four, we did well.

What was the team accommodation like? Are we talking five-star hotel rooms?

Image: It was hardly a five-star luxury appartment in the Olympic Village

We were used to living in and out of hotels every single week of my time with Team GB, so I was used to it. It wasn't really a hotel, we were in an apartment.

So you didn't spend two weeks alone then focusing on nothing but fighting? 

I always shared with Anthony Ogogo, in a room when we were at tournaments and in London 2012. It was like living with a little old lady, if I'm honest. But I wouldn't swap him for anyone. We are good friends so, we knew each other's routines and we respected that and we made each other laugh all the time.

Any other best boxing buddies?

Image: Anthony Ogogo was Campbell's close friend and like living with a 'little old lady'

I was also close with Anthony Joshua and Thomas Stalker, so those three probably. I never got to test Ogogo's cooking skills because we all had our own menus and requirements, not what the other one was cooking! 

When that first fight finally came, what was it like walking into the Copper Box?

Of all my fights that first one was the most nerve-wracking. You don't want to go out in the first round and if you lose that first fight that's it and it's only just started. It is a horrible feeling.

Campnell's road to Olympic gold glory

Round of 32 Sat, July 28 Bye -
Round of 16 Wed, Aug, 1 Vittori Paminello (ITA) 11-9
Quarter-final Sun, Aug 5 Detelin Dalakoev (BUL) 16-15
Semi-final Fri, Aug 10 Satoshi Shimizu (JPN) 20-1
Final Sat, Aug 11 John Joe Nevin (IRL) 14-11

And moving straight to that magical win, what can you remember when the national anthem started?

Absolutely nothing went through my mind! It was crazy. It is hard to explain, it was a rollercoaster of emotions. Don't forget I had dreamed of winning the Olympics for years and years and all of a sudden I was living this dream. I had visualised it for goodness knows how many years, yet there I was. It was surreal.

So winning gold was one thing, but holding your nerve on the podium? Pleased with that?

Image: Campbell held back the tears but not the smile on the podium

Well if you are asking if I was crying, smiling, laughing, crying again and everything that went with it, then yes, I did a pretty good job up there.

That night did you celebrate and get back home at 6am the next day?

The boxing started on the first day and finished on the second from last day, so I only had that one night when I could've gone out partying. But I couldn't in the end. I was just doing loads of interviews.

Finally, what is the one piece of advice you would give to the current Team GB?

Image: Don't look too far ahead is the gold medalist's advise to Team GB

Focus on the present. Keep your mind on one day at a time and don't let your mind drift into what could be. There's always kids there saying 'I've got this guy, then next I've got that guy and if he beats him, I've got him' and so-on. It's more than likely it won't work out that way, so do it one step at a time. Focus on now.

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