Mandurah boxer Sophie “The Bullet” Ingledew’s climb up the ranks reached new heights when she took out a gold medal at the Youth Oceania Championships in Samoa last month.
The 17-year-old Moorey’s Martial Arts prodigy donned Australia’s green and gold for her international debut at the championships, and now boasts a healthy 1-0 record on the global level after taking down a French Polynesian fighter to claim the top prize.
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After a slow first round Ingledew got on the front foot, pushing forward and landing shots on her opponent with regularity in the second.
By the third round she was well and truly in control, and took the fight on a unanimous points decision victory.
The Halls Head College student said the feeling remained surreal to her a week after returning home from the championships.
“I’m still a bit in shock, to be honest,” she said.
“To have the national anthem playing and see the flag when they presented me with the medal was pretty overwhelming – I just started crying.
“To just be able to represent Australia was special enough, but to get a win in that fight, it still hasn’t really sunk in.”
Ingledew can now look forward to donning the green and gold a second time after qualifying to fight at the Youth World Championships in Budapest this September.
She will enter the international tournament – the biggest she’s ever fought in – as one of the youngest competitors, but the bantamweight fighter said that won’t stop her from putting her best foot forward.
“I still can’t believe I’m going to be fighting at the world championships, but we’ve got a lot of time to train and get ready for it so I’m really looking forward to that,” she said.
“Since I’m only 17 I’ll be able to compete at worlds next year too, so hopefully I can go far and get a real good feel for it this time around.”
Ingledew’s coach, Jason Moore, was thrilled to see his pupil’s hard work pay off.
“To see Soph holding the gold medal… that’s just a really proud moment for our gym,” he said.
“She puts in so much work and she’s a competitor, so we just love when she gets the rewards she deserves.”
The young gun now returns to her rigorous training regime, which has her in the gym approximately 12 hours a week, as she prepares to front the international stage once again.
To keep up with Ingledew’s exploits in the ring, visit her Facebook page.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
