She may have missed out on a place in the women’s light welterweight final but bronze-medal winning boxer Sandy Ryan is adamant there are still plenty of positives to take away from her European Games experience.
Ryan broke down in tears on Tuesday after beating Azerbaijan home favourite Elene Vystropova to guarantee herself a medal in Baku.
It lined up a semi-final bout with Anastasia Beliakova on Thursday, the Russia having beaten Ryan in the final of last year’s World Championships.
The Brit had stated before the fight that revenge was firmly on her mind but despite battling hard at the Crystal Hall, she was unable to turn the tables as Beliakova earned a 3-0 victory.
But while disappointed about missing out on the chance to bid for gold, 21-year-old Ryan insisted she had relished her moment in the spotlight this week.
“It was a tough fight. I thought I could do it today but the right person won on the day. She’s a good fighter,” she said.
“I could have been a bit tidier today but I’ll come back stronger. I wasn’t nervous but more excited – every fight I’ve been excited and it’s a massive stage for me and a learning curve for a lot of the young guys from Great Britain.
“It’s been a massive week. My phone was going mad the other day I couldn’t reply to everyone but I just want to thank everyone who has supported me.
“Every fight is a learning curve and I’ve got a bronze but I wanted more than that. I’m happy but I came for the gold but it just wasn’t my day.
“I’m boxing at 64 [kg] which isn’t even my boxing weight and I’ve beaten some top girls so when I come down to 60 [kg], I’ll be a lot better.”
© Sportsbeat 2015