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    Home » State Links To London Olympics: Boxing
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    State Links To London Olympics: Boxing

    SPNW StaffBy SPNW StaffJuly 28, 2012No Comments5 Mins Read
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    Sportspress Northwest continues its series of biographical sketches of athletes with significant ties to Washington who will compete in the Olympics.

    Leo Randolph is the most recent boxer with state ties to win a medal, claiming gold in flyweight at the 1976 Games at Montreal. Washington will be represented by one boxer in London.

    2012 BOXING OLYMPIAN

    Queen Underwood

    QUEEN UNDERWOOD

    BORN: May 8, 1984, Seattle. RESIDENCE: Seattle. SPORT: Boxing EVENT: Lightweight (132 pounds). COUNTRY: USA. OLYMPICS (1st): 2012. HOW QUALIFIED: Selected by AIBA, the international governing body of amateur boxing. STATE CONNECTION: Seattle native, Garfield High graduate.

    Underwood won the first women’s Olympic boxing team trials in February, but dropped a one-point decision at the World Championships in May, falling just short of Olympic qualification and jeopardizing her berth in London’s 12-fighter lightweight field. But in June, the AIBA, which governs international amateur boxing, announced that Underwood would be added to the Olympic team.

    CAREER: Underwood’s ambition has always been to win a gold medal at the London Games, where women’s boxing will make its Olympic debut. Her passion for the gold is fueled in part by the fact that she was abused as a child and survived the ordeal by dreaming of one day doing something extraordinary.

    “One day,” she told an interviewer this year, “I’m going to be ‘Queen of the Ring’ and nobody will ever hurt me again. One day, I won’t be 12 years old and feeling helpless; one day I’ll be strong and unstoppable. This is the dream that kept me from losing my mind in the midst of abuse and violation.”

    A Garfield High School graduate who trains at Cappy’s Boxing Gym in the Seattle’s Central District, Underwood took another step to realizing her dream by capturing her fifth consecutive U.S. Lightweight Boxing championship at the 132-pound weight class last summer in Colorado Springs, CO, defeating Floridian Tiara Brown on points 23-21.

    Underwood started boxing at 18, seven years before the sport was voted onto the Olympic calendar. International sports officials originally perceived boxing to be too dangerous for women, though women have suffered few serious injuries in the ring.

    In 2009, the International Olympic Committee gave the sport the green light, nudged by the fact that men’s boxing was the only summer Olympic sport lacking a female counterpart.

    Underwood told KOMO that when the Games arrive, she will be ready. “I’m going there with gold on my mind,” she said, “and I’m going there feeling unstoppable.”

    PERSONAL: In addition to boxing, Underwood has participated in track and basketball . . . Loves to listen to music, but does not watch any TV  . . . Played the viola in the school orchestra.

    BOXING MEDALS BY WASHINGTONIANS

    GOLD: Pete Rademacher (Pullman), heavyweight, 1952 Helsinki; Sugar Ray Seales (Tacoma), light welterweight, 1972 Munich; Leo Randolph (Tacoma), flyweight, 1976 Montreal. SILVER: None. BRONZE: None.

    Olympic Qualifiers

    Athletes with connections to the state who have qualified (or been selected)  for the Games.

    Athlete Sport Gms. # Country State Connection
    Nathan Adrian Swimming 2 USA Bremerton native
    Scott Baynes Basketball 1 Australia WSU grad
    Sue Bird Basketball 3 USA Seattle Storm guard
    Kim Butler Basketball 1 G. Britain Bellarmine Prep
    Dave Calder Rowing 4 Canada University of Washington
    Will Crothers Rowing 1 Canada University of Washington
    Tyler Farrar Cycling 1 USA Wenatchee native
    Amanda Furrer Shooting 1 USA Mead High, Spokane
    Scott Gault Rowing 2 USA University of Washington
    Rob Gibson Rowing 1 Canada University of Washington
    Lauren Jackson Basketball 4 Australia Seattle Storm forward
    Anthony Jacob Rowing 1 Canada University of Washington
    Ebba Jungmark Track 2 Sweden WSU grad
    Seth Kelsey Fencing 3 Canada Brush Prairie
    Ariana Kukors Swimming 1 USA Auburn Mountainview
    Meagan Kalmoe Rowing 2 USA University of Washington
    Bernard Lagat Track 4 USA Washington State University
    Giuseppe Lanzone Rowing 2 USA University of Washington
    Amy LePeilbet Soccer 1 USA Spokane native
    Adrienne Lyle Equestrian 1 USA University of Washington
    Adrienne Martelli Rowing 1 USA University of Washington
    Arielle Martin Cycling 1 USA Spanaway native
    Conlin McCabe Rowing 1 Canada University of Washington
    Tamari Miyashiro Volleyball 1 USA University of Washington
    Haley Nemra Track 2 Marshall Is. Marys.-Pilchuck
    Brett Newlin Rowing 2 USA University of Washington
    Kara Patterson Track 2 USA Seattle native
    Jennie Reed Cycling 3 USA Seattle native
    Jarred Rome Track 2 USA Marys.-Pilchuck High
    Janine Sandell Volleyball 1 Great Britain University of Washington
    Hope Solo Soccer 2 USA University of Washington
    Travis Stevens Judo 2 USA Bellevue native
    Courtney Thompson Volleyball 1 USA University of Washington
    Aretha Thurmond Track 4 USA University of Washington
    Queen Underwood Boxing 1 USA Seattle resident
    Eric Uptagrafft Shooting 1 USA Spokane resident
    Tejay van Garderen Cycling 1 USA Tacoma native
    Brad Walker Track 2 USA University of Washington
    Mary Whipple Rowing 3 USA University of Washington
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