Captain of the Australian boxing team, Caitlin Parker, joined Scott Cummings and Tim Gossage in preparation for the Paris Olympics that begin later this month.
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SEN WA Breakfast
"I try to think like Mike Tyson" - Caitlin Parker (09/07/2024)
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With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. - So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing. - Mint Mobile unlimited, premium wireless. - Have it to get 30, 30, 30, but get 30, but get 20, 20, 20, but get 20, 20, 20, but get 15, 15, 15, just 15 bucks a month, so. - Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch. - $45 up front for three months plus taxes and fees, promoting for new customers for limited time, unlimited more than 40 gigabytes per month, slows, full turns at mintmobile.com. - Katelyn Parker is the name that's been on our show before because of your predecessor, of course. - The friend of the show? - Yeah, friend of the show, 'cause Gilly was absolutely, was just saying, get behind Katelyn Parker, and her push, it's his third Olympics, I stan, Gary. - So good. - How good? Hey Katelyn, congratulations on one being in the boxing team, but two being the captain. - Thank you so much, and I will correct you. It's actually my second Olympic, but tied for three, but this is my second. - That's all right. - Oh, we'll go to open the first time then. - Yeah, you'll let us down, you'll let the whole group. - Country down, you'll let your family down. - You'll let Gilly down. (laughing) - Oh, yeah, trust me, I had to work for that. But yeah, now I'm here for my second Olympic, then we're here to try and make history, that's for sure. - Let's talk about the first one then, because you went to Tokyo, and it didn't go the way you wanted Katelyn, what have you learned? Well, first of all, congratulations on your second Olympics, 'cause it's bloody amazing, but what did you learn at the first one? - Thank you so much. Well, you know, like I said, I kind of, when I found out women's boxing was being introduced in the Olympics for the first time in 2012, I made my goal Rio, the 2016 Olympics. Tried so hard for that, went to the international qualifiers and didn't make it absolutely gutting. So, four years later, here we go for Tokyo, I'll put everything into that, made Tokyo, that was the happiest moment of my entire life qualifying, when my hand got raised in the ring, I fell to the ground, I was happy tears, and I got up and I was like, oh, yeah, I've still got to thank my opponent and stuff, you know, it was overwhelming, unreal, but yeah, obviously going to Tokyo, I'm just not having kind of the preparation that I would have loved. I'd just kind of gone over to Melbourne and got stuck in lockdown, so couldn't go to the gym or anything for seven months, stuck at home, but it was, yeah, it wasn't what I wanted and what I knew I was capable of, I only ended up making top nine, so again, massive amount of learnings there. This time round, I've qualified, I'm ready to go. The self-belief is really there this time, I've made a lot of improvements, so the girl that I lost to at the Tokyo Olympics, I fought her last year at the World Championships, got my revenge, I got the win, so that just kind of proved to, not only myself, but to everyone, but the improvement had been made and we're so ready for Paris. Brilliant stuff, so yeah, so what did you take out of that Olympic experience? What's the number one thing? Is it preparation, is absolutely vital? The experience of being at the village, being around other superstar Olympians? Just tell us a bit about what you're gonna take out of the last to now. - Mm, so I really, as soon as I stepped out of that ring when I didn't get the win, I, yeah, like I said, I was gutted and I really just decided to strip everything back and see. I contemplated maybe moving weight divisions to see how it goes, things like that, but what really changed and what I've improved since then is my inside game, so for boxing, because I'm actually not that tall for my division, I fight in the 75 kilo middleweight division and I don't know, about 175 centimetres tall, but there's people that are like, you know, plus taller than me, so what I've decided to work on a lot more since then is just getting into range, getting into that mid range and just working a lot more. Like, I try to think about Mike Tyson and I hope that I can bring that through and everyone can see that, but that's kind of my inspiration, just get in there and just fight a bit more rather than staying out too long out of their range. - Caitlin Parker is our guest, Australian Olympic boxing team, Captain Leif for Europe today, going to Germany for a training camp and then on to Paris, of course. We've got a text from Jonesy, who's a regular listener to our show, who says, "Kate Parker, Katie Parker is a dead set legend, "she started in Taekwondo and is the reason "why Harry, Maggie and Ziggy went to boxing, "we've met her and watched her fight. "Good luck, Katie, and also good luck "to everyone from Western Australia that's going to the Olympics." So there's a fan who's listening to the show. - Thank you so much, I appreciate that. - Yeah, and you've made their three kids go into boxing. So, you know, I'm not an actual mum's raps, but I want to ask you where it all started for you because, you know, obviously research gets done, Katie, and you had your first fight when you were 13 out of Gosnell's gym. Now, my question is, was that a sanctioned fighter? Was that just one in the car park, or, you know, it's Gosnell, and you were 13, and how did it all start for you? - Yeah, well, yeah, I was raising of most of my life, and so the boxing gym that I went to, I was, yeah, I was 11 when I started, but I didn't compete until I was 13, and I was a bit taller than most people of my age, so I was about nearly the same weight I am now, 13, so finding people my age and weight was a bit hard. So I ended up having to get in the ring for the first time against a 25-year-old woman. Now, it was an exhibition match, so it wasn't actually a win or a loss or anything like that, but to get in the ring for the first time against a full-grown woman wasn't experienced, but, I don't know, people back then told me out the better of it, but I just like to think, you know, I'll take what I want. - Absolutely, we touched on it at the start. Gilly, Gilly mentoring you, he's been all over it, so you've got to get the carland park on, we spoke to you before on the show, and Gilly's an absolute fan and a mentor for you. Ever since he's been doing his Prairie Fire podcast and travelling the world looking for a tequila manufacturer and the like in Mexico, has he dropped off the carland parker bandwagon? Are you still here for the great thing? - No, so, yeah, he was my mentor since 2015. I got a scholarship with the Sports Australia Hall of Fame, so they kind of partnered us up together, and I was stoked, but my dad was really, really happy. (laughing) - You're going, Gilly hoo! - Love it! - Yeah! (laughing) So, no, and it was really great, this is obviously, pick his brain, get advice, boxing and cricket, completely different sports, but a lot of athletes go through similar emotions and experiences and was able to really get some great knowledge off of him, but he will still give me message, I know he's a busy man, he will still message me before a big competition, wish me luck, give me advice, like, he's such a legend. - All right, well, we were talking just before, do you reckon Gilly can go a bit? We're not sure. (laughing) - Like, in the ring? - Yeah, I reckon he'd be scrappy, you're said he'd be really technical and then clinical, clinical, big lefty, round here. - No, I'm not sure, I'm not sure he'd cop too many. - Maybe we'll ask him if he wants to jump in the ring for an exo, who's going to fight him, one of you two? - Yeah, no thanks. And, Pash, you've got to get his ears in the helmet too, that wouldn't do you, is he? - Oh! (laughing) - No, hang on, we'll need some bloke. - That's all it is. - It's just a bloke about, very true. So, what's your expectation? Katie, what's your abs, Callum, what's your expectation? What do you think you're gonna achieve over there in Paris? - Right, so I know that I'm capable of winning the gold medal. Now, I say that because at the World Championship last year, I got a silver medal, I lost a very close split decision to the hometown, a girl from India, in India. So, I know that I am capable of winning that gold, as long as I had the best kind of performance in the ring, that I can bring out everything that I've been working on and practicing. I've been doing my study on all of my opponents. So, Australia is never won an Olympic gold medal in boxing before, and no woman has ever won a medal. So, I really just want to create history and bring it home for Australia. - Yes, yeah, well, yes. - And are you not going to sort of say you're a pseudo Victorian? Are you going to tell everyone you're from Perth? 'Cause I know you're between Victoria and Hea, but you are a Perth girl, aren't we? We're going with that? - Oh, yeah, look, hey, yeah, WA girl, born and raised, and I have been over there for the past, they have five years of training and stuff. So, no, I'm bringing it home for WA. Also, I'll say Victoria as well. - No, no, no, there's a graphic on the... - They're gonna say, they're gonna say, they're gonna say, they're gonna say, they're gonna say, they're gonna say, they're gonna blow it right up. - In the blue corner from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. - They're gonna say, they're gonna blow it right up. - Knock around, knock around. We won't be saying that. - I hope you are the first one. - Go get 'em. - 'Cause we really do good. - Go get 'em, Parker, we're very proud of you. Congratulations on being the captain and go over there and do your thing. - Thank you so much. - Kalen Parker joining us, heading to the Olympics, heading to Europe today, heading to Germany. She said, good life, isn't it? - Oh, good life, I'm getting in the ring and put your body on the line and have someone want to knock your head off. - He's a good girl, and any girl that Gilly supports is our girl, so we're on board there. - The Galen Parker will be watching her over there in the Paris. - Where's the Australian? - Yep, history-making squad. First indigenous woman to Box for Australia. - Brilliant. - At the Olympics is Marissa Williamson-Polman, the first Muslim Australian woman to Box at the Olympics will be Tina Rahimi, and the first woman to Box at two Olympics? Guess who? - Yeah, good. - Galen Parker, and for a brief moment, she was going to her third Olympics.