"I aim to make it to the top."
Jaya Kalsi will represent Team GB at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, having received the news the day before her 17th birthday.
The Warwick boxer was selected for the competition in what she described as an “amazing present to get”, marking a significant milestone in her young career as she prepares to compete on the international stage.
The Youth Olympics begins on October 31 and Kalsi is preparing to travel to Senegal for the biggest competition of her career so far.
Speaking to BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, Kalsi said she had spent recent weeks training with Team GB, with preparations in the gym having gone “really well”.
She said: “I’m looking forward to it, it’s a great honour to represent Team GB and my country.”
The Sikh fighter, who is ranked third in the world at her level and is a European gold medallist, will compete in the 54kg weight category.
Kalsi’s competition gets underway on November 8 and she will discover her opponents at the start of the month.
She said: “The draw will happen when we’re out there. It will be an amazing experience.”
Jaya Kalsi is hoping to make the most of the opportunity and bring home a gold medal, while also using the experience as a stepping stone towards her longer-term ambitions of competing at the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games.
She revealed: “I aim to make it to the top. I’m looking to hopefully get a place on the 2028 Olympic squad and hopefully the 2032 Olympics and then go pro after that.
Having trained at Cleary Boxing Gym in Leamington Spa from a young age, Kalsi first took up boxing when she was seven, following encouragement from her father.
She had previously enjoyed several sports, including swimming and karate, but her father’s passion for boxing ultimately influenced her decision to take up the sport.
Kalsi explained: “I loved doing sports before that, I did swimming and karate but my dad, he was a massive fan of boxing so he got me into the sport.
“He looked up to Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather, and he basically took me to the gym.”
Kalsi has since developed her own sporting influences, with Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor among her biggest inspirations.
The teenager also looks up to former world champion Floyd Mayweather, admiring his “hard work and dedication”.
Her mother will accompany her to Senegal for the Youth Olympic Games, continuing to support her throughout her boxing journey.
With an international medal now within reach and ambitions of reaching the senior Olympic stage firmly in sight, Kalsi is determined to make her first Youth Olympic appearance count.
