Lauren Price, Olympic gold medalist and world champion boxer

The story goes that when a young Lauren Price was set a homework assignment about what she wanted to achieve when she grew up, she wrote down three things: become a world champion kickboxer, play football for Wales, and go to the Olympics. Remarkably, she’d manage to achieve all three before her 30th birthday. 

After winning a junior world championship in kickboxing and playing football for Cardiff City and Wales, Lauren turned her focus to boxing. She won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and, having turned professional, now holds three of a possible four titles in the women's welterweight division – all without losing a bout.

But despite all this success, she’s trying to keep her feet firmly on the ground, even if she can no longer nip to Tescos without someone asking for a picture. Here she tells us about how she got started in boxing, her love for the valleys, and how she hopes to create a legacy.

It’s a poster from my first professional fight, which I consider my “breakout” fight. I’d just become Olympic champion and I wanted to move fast and take on the big fights. Jessica McCaskill had been world champion for a number of years, but I knew I had the beating of her. A lot of people wrote me off, but I came home to Wales to box in front of a sold-out crowd at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff, and the rest is history.

Growing up in the town of Ystrad Mynach in South Wales shaped who I am, and I’m so proud to be Welsh. The people are passionate, they’re patriotic and they’re just built different. I can’t thank them enough for the support I’ve been shown, whether they’re in the venues or watching from home or sending me messages before and after fights. I’ll always remember when I came back from Tokyo after the 2020 Olympics and saw the main street in Ystrad Mynach full of people. It was a very proud moment for me.

When I’m standing in the ring listening to that Welsh national anthem, it’s unbelievable. It gives me that extra bit of grit, but it also touches me emotionally as well, feeling like I’ve got the whole country behind me. Even [boxing] promoters have said to me that when I boxed in Cardiff the fans were just amazing, the way they turned out for me and how passionate they are. That support means everything to me and drives me on.

Gelligaer boxing gym [in Caerphilly] means a lot to me. It’s where my grandfather first brought me when I was starting out. A lot of gyms didn’t allow girls, so that was a big thing for me to come here as a female, and they welcomed me. I didn’t know where my ceiling was and how far I’d go, but I believed in myself and I worked hard and I got there in the end. Now I’m an Olympic champion and World champion. I’ve got to pinch myself sometimes, but I just try to keep my feet on the ground.

I’m a massive believer in the younger generation. When I come home I go into schools to tell my story, how I got to where I am, and maybe give the local kids someone to look up to. However, a big thing for me is also just giving people my time. I love the fact that when I’m in the supermarket people come up to me and ask me for my picture or I can have a conversation with them about when I’m fighting next. I think it’s important that I give that back because it’s their support that allows me to live my dream.

The people around you keep you grounded but they give you that hope and belief and support, and when I’m away all the time, coming back to the valleys, I feel very at home. It’s a bit mad sometimes when I come back to Wales and everyone’s like “Oh my god, it’s Lauren Price”, but obviously I don’t see myself like that, I’m just a girl from Ystrad Mynach.

Of course I want to become undisputed [to hold every title in the Welterweight weight division] and I’ve got one more title to come for that, but I think it’s more about the legacy and the big fights. For me, the dream is to be boxing in big stadiums and getting the whole of Wales behind me, and that’s what I need more than the titles and belts. It’s about creating greatness and following in the footsteps of people like [Welsh boxer] Joe Calzaghe and going as far as I can and being the best I can be. Hopefully I can do a few more big fights in Wales – and get a couple more posters up on the wall of the barbers in Ystrad Mynach!