Bigger and better Caitlin Fryers aiming to make gold breakthrough

Caitlin Fryers is well-accustomed to being among the medals, but the Belfast flyweight only wants one colour on her next trip abroad.

In addition to World Youth bronze, Fryers has also picked up European Youth silver and European Junior bronze over the years.

The Immaculata fighter now wants European Youth gold at the championships in Italy this April, and took the first step to this on Friday night.

Fryers defeated Orinta Ringyte of Riverstown in the finals of the U18 Open Championships at the National Stadium, giving the Cork boxer a count in the first en-route to a unanimous decision points win.

The West Belfast boxer told Irish-Boxing.com afterwards that “I think I controlled all three rounds. First round was easy enough, second I kind of let her back in and I had to pick it back up again.

“It’s all the same, I didn’t think [after the count] that it was going to be easier. I knew it was a hard fight so I just kept going on. That’s why we had a gameplan.”

Fryers had stepped up to flyweight for the championships, an Olympic weight, and is enjoying her boxing in the more comfortable 51kg class.

“I’m eating bigger meals,” she described.

“I’m not bringing myself down with two meals a day. I’m eating four times a day now, eating after training instead of drying out.”

The teenage talent admits to being motivated by her past podium finishes and is aiming for gold in Roseto – after a short, coach-insisted break.

Fryers outlined how “they [her coaches] are trying to get me to take a couple of days off and sort myself out – I’ll do what they tell me. I train five days a week, sometimes twice a day. Once before school and then in the gym.

“I got bronze in 2015, I won a silver last year so hopefully I get gold this year.”