Heavyweight boxer Mateusz Bereznicki has had a more unusual route to the Paris Olympics than most – having only taken up the sport to avoid dance classes.
The 23-year-old moved from Poland to Gosport, in Hampshire, when he was aged just five and that was where he learned to box – via a slightly circuitous path.
“All I did when I was younger was play computer games,” he told BBC Sport.
“My mother hated it so she signed me up to hip-hop classes in Gosport.
“A man who was there to collect his daughter asked me if I’d rather box and I said yes. That’s how it started – I just needed anything to not have to do hip-hop.”
Now, after winning four fights in Thailand and qualifying for this summer’s Games, he will represent his country of birth at the pinnacle of amateur boxing.
The Olympic preliminary rounds get under way on 28 July at the North Paris Arena, with the finals at Roland-Garros on 9 August.
“It’s a dream come true, I’m still speechless,” he added.
“There’s no one better in the world than these 16 people at this level and I’m looking forward to it, I love competing against the best.”
One of the challenges that comes with amateur boxing compared to the professional scene is the limited amount of time per bout.
Fights consist of just three rounds compared to up to 12 in the professional game, meaning less time for a boxer to force a stoppage or convince the judges they are the worthy winner.
“There is a really big pressure but I enjoy working under pressure,” Bereznicki said.
“The key thing for me is to win the first two rounds and run around a bit for the third, that is the perfect fight for me.”
