In Paris, Canadian boxer Tammara Thibeault has one objective: gold

The Canadian athlete and boxer Tammara Thibeault poses during the media day organized by the Canadian Olympic Committee in Montreal on Thursday, December 14, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi)

Canadian boxer Tammara Thibeault won't hide it.

At the Paris Olympics, she has only one goal — capturing gold in the 75-kilogram weight class.

It's not arrogance or even overconfidence.

The 27-year-old pugilist from Shawinigan, Que., has a stellar resume worthy of aiming for the top of the podium in the French capital.

Thibeault started the sport at nine years old, following her father, former CFL wide receiver Patrick Thibeault, and brother to boxing classes.

Now the current world champion — a title won in 2022 before several nations boycotted the 2023 world championships to protest against the International Boxing Association — Thibeault is also a two-time Pan American Boxing gold medallist and won the last Pan American and Commonwealth Games.

She hasn't lost a fight since her defeat in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, where she finished fifth, bringing her streak to 25.

To say she's the favourite in Paris is an understatement, but Thibeault tries to put that aside.

"I try not to think about it. It's normal, I'm the reigning world champion," she said. "But it's a new tournament. Everyone starts on the same footing and, above all, I don't underestimate any of my opponents. I also don't rely on being the favourite."

Boxing is set for July 27 to Aug. 10, and Thibeault will step into the on the second day.

The preliminary fights take place at the Paris Nord Arena, but the finals will be held at Roland Garros, the site of the French Open tennis tournament.

The idea of a Canadian boxer emerging as an Olympic medal contender seemed unlikely after Tokyo.

Boxing Canada found itself in a scandal after dozens of boxers signed an open letter to Sport Canada in May 2022 about the organization's "toxic culture of fear and silence," leading to the resignation of high-performance director Daniel Trepanier. 

Vincent Auclair is now leading the national team, and the climate within Canadian boxing appears to have taken a 180-degree turn.

Thibeault said the governing body's instability didn't alter her desire to pursue her dream of an Olympic podium.

"I have always been an athlete focused on myself," she said. "I didn't worry too much about the people in charge of the federation. I always took charge of my development and was going to do a second Olympic cycle anyway."

If Thibeault reaches her goal, she would become the first Canadian Olympic boxer to win gold since heavyweight Lennox Lewis triumphed in Seoul in 1988.

Canada has not won a boxing medal at the Summer Games since another heavyweight, David Defiagbon, took silver at Atlanta in 1996.

A 28-year drought rests on the shoulders of Thibeault and Wyatt Sanford of Kennetcook, N.S., the only Canadian men's representative in the 63-kilogram category.

Sanford also won gold at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

Thibeault is not ready to say this will be her last chance to win an Olympic title. 

Even though she plans to turn professional as soon as the Games are over, she won't rule out competing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

"It's certain that I will turn professional as soon as the Paris Games are over, but I'm not saying that it will be my last Olympic cycle because professionals can now participate in the Olympics in boxing," she said. 

"So I won't close the door on Los Angeles 2028. I'll do one thing at a time. I'll complete this cycle before thinking about another, but I wouldn't be too old for a third cycle."

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2024.