Pocket rocket Megan targeting medal in Australia

Megan Gordon is a breath of fresh air.

Only 18, she could be nervous and cautious when speaking to the media ahead of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, but there is none of that with this teenage boxer.

She is excited to speak about her journey and her sport and does so with a smile that belies her competitive nature.

Megan, from Elgin, made history last summer when she was selected for Team Scotland for the Youth Games in the Bahamas as a female boxer.

The won bronze and that result gave her a lot of confidence and she used it to kick on and make sure she was on the plane for Australia.

“The Youth Games was such a good opportunity. Obviously it is known as a stepping stone for the Games so definitely going there made me want to rise to this occasion and get to the senior event,” Megan explained.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to Gold Coast though as I broke my hand in Poland. I was out for nine weeks, so it’s like starting all over again, but after all the training since then I feel so ready. I’m excited for the opportunity and obviously want to bring back another medal.

“I want to change the colour his time and get gold.

“I basically just focus on myself, I’ve done it in the past where I search up opponents and it doesn’t do me any good so I’ve just cut that out. I just let dad do that because my dad is my coach.

“He’s coming out to the Games, him, my mum and some of my family are flying out to support me, that will be good.

“I’m just more sad I can’t get my dog Peanut out there. My grandma and granddad are going to look after her so it’s not too bad!

So, how does a young girl growing up in Elgin get into boxing?

“Everyone things that it was because my dad was in boxing, but basically every year Elgin Boxing Club have a home show that everyone can go to, the public,” she stated.

“I went to watch it and there was a young boy boxing who would have been about my age at the time and I was like, ‘I could do that’. So I said to my mum who was sat next to me and she just looked at and she was like ‘ok’.

“It was out the blue because I wasn’t sporty, I was really girly, then when I got home I was like ‘dad can I start boxing?’. He said no and that was it, but then I kept pestering and pestering.

“As I was quite girly I think he thought I was just going to go into the ring, get hit and be like ‘no, no, no!’. I kept pestering and pestering and after a while I finally got my way and he said that if I trained every day with him for three months at home then I could start.

He kind of thought I was going to give in, but now it’s six years since I started and I love it.

“Scotland is doing so much for females who are boxing and it is showing that there are opportunities for the young girls coming through.”

The Commonwealth Games take place in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4-15