Chantelle Cameron only narrowly missed out on a spot at London 2012, but the Northampton boxer insists the near miss has only made her hungrier for more.
The 21-year-old lightweight is no stranger to doing things in a whirlwind fashion, the former champion kick boxer winning her first ABA title after just three bouts following a switch to the sport in 2010.
Since then Cameron has won a silver and bronze medal at the Women’s EU Championships but ultimately missed out on one of the three London 2012 spots on offer to Savannah Marshall, Natasha Jonas and Nicole Adams after they all won medals at this year’s World Championships.
It is a sign of how far Cameron has come in just two years that she only narrowly missed out on helping introduce boxing into the Olympic programme at London.
But with her potential clearly highlighted the Kings Heath ABC fighter isn’t about to disappear any time soon, vowing to keep on turning heads for some time yet.
“Obviously I was disappointed to miss out on London 2012 but obviously I have time on my side with me still being pretty young,” former Northampton Academy pupil Cameron said.
“It would have been amazing if I had been selected for this year’s Olympics but I guess it came down to not being experienced enough so now I will go away and get the experience on my side and move forward.
“London 2012 would have really been a bonus for me having only been boxing for three years and it shows how far I have come that I only just missed out.
“That does give me confidence that I am heading in the right direction and now I have to just keep working hard because now my aim is to make it to Rio in 2016.
“Getting so close means that I want now is to win medals. I just want to keep on winning from here on out to make sure I don’t miss out for Brazil next time around.”
Although Cameron won’t be competing in the capital this summer, she will still get a taste of the London 2012 atmosphere after being chosen for Team GB’s Olympic Ambition Programme.
The programme focuses on athletes with the potential to compete at a future Olympics and as part of it they will experience a Team GB Preparation Camp and the Olympic Village, something Cameron believes will come in very handy further down the line.
“I am really pleased that I have been selected for the Team GB Olympic Ambition Programme because it shows me that people are taking notice of me and recognising my talent,” she added.
“And the experience of being involved in London 2012 will be vital because it will help me deal with it all better when my time comes for real.
“So I will be keeping my eyes open for sure and will be taking it all in and hopefully it will help me out massively later in life.”
Lloyds TSB Local Heroes, in partnership with SportsAid, provides support and funding to 346 of Britain’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond. Since 2008, the programme has supported 1,000 athletes. Follow future stars at facebook.com/lloydstsblocalheroes