McCracken Talks How Adams Almost Missed Big Olympic Moment

After years shouting for the right to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games, Nicola Adams almost missed her big moment in the boxing sun.

Adams was stricken by a back injury at the same time performance director Rob McCracken was holding trials to determine the first batch of women boxers who would train towards winning medals at London 2012.

Without McCracken's conviction and the pleas of the team doctor, the 33-year-old may not now be standing on the cusp of becoming the first British boxer to retain an Olympic title for 92 years.

Adams will begin her campaign for history when she faces Ukraine's Tetyana Kob at Riocentro on Tuesday morning in a bout with a guaranteed medal at stake.

McCracken said while he never doubted the Leeds flyweight's capacity for making history, he faced a major battle to enroll her on the first women's programme at all.

McCracken said: "When Nicky first came to Sheffield in 2009 to try out for the programme she was ill and sat on a chair and just watched the others.

"I told the doctor I couldn't put her on the programme unless she did something, and I was about to send her home.

"There were other girls there working hard and it wouldn't have been fair on them.

"The doctor asked me to wait and give him one month to get her right. The first thing she was able to do was shadow-box and even when she just did that we could see she had real talent.

"We added her to the programme in 2010 and she has been a delight."

Adams is hungry to make more history and as focused as ever after finally winning her first world title earlier this year.

But she will be eager to guard against complacency after fellow reigning champion Katie Taylor suffered a shock loss in her opening lightweight bout on Monday.

Adams said: "I never underestimate any of my opponents because the average fighter can turn into a world-beater when they get in the ring with the likes of me or Katie.

"They've got nothing to lose, they're the underdog and I have to keep that in mind. The quality of women's boxing is improving all the time and it is definitely keeping me on my toes."

Monday's flyweight defeat for Muhammad Ali means Adams is one of just four British boxers remaining in the competition, with light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi having already guaranteed at least a bronze medal.

And it looks even bleaker for Ireland with a series of shock defeats including Taylor's reversal leaving world champion Michael Conlan as their only representative in the competition.