NEW DELHI: Emma-Sue Greentree (81kg) was methodical and sleek inside the ring on Wednesday. Her athleticism was visible when the Australian boxer took apart her helpless quarterfinal opponent in the ongoing IBA World Championships here.
She made it look effortless, winning by Referee Stops the Contest (RSC) verdict. But Emma’s journey has been far from easy ever since she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). That is something that is uncommon at the elite level of boxing. And adrenaline rush and diabetes are no good company.
T1D impacts a person’s lifestyle in many ways. Her condition has meant she has to monitor her health on an everyday basis, maintain blood sugar levels and be very selective when it comes to her diet. Given that she’s into a physically demanding sport like boxing, that only makes it trickier.
“No day is ever the same. I just have to make sure to keep my blood sugar at a stable level. It is tough. When you’re boxing, adrenaline runs through when you’re in the ring and that sends your blood sugar levels high. I just have to be careful and keep a close watch,” the 24-year-old says.
“All I have got to do is adjust, depending on how much carbs I eat. And that just varies from time to time, depending on the sugar levels in my body. I just have to make sure I take enough carbs. It’s really been my life since I was nine,” Emma explains with a warm smile.
But that did not stop her from pursuing sports, something that is in her blood. She played athletics and rugby during her schooldays before picking up the gloves when she turned 17. Having endured unimaginable daily discomfort over the years, this medal is certainly a moment to relish.
Soon after she sailed past Chutee Pornnipa of Thailand, her opponent on the day, to secure a medal, the Australian camp was naturally in a jubilant mode. Scott Kaye had also secured a medal for Australia just before Emma. All the members of the team could be seen soaking in the moment and taking pictures.
“It’s my first Worlds, feeling really stoked to be here. This was my second fight. The first one was really hard against a tough Russian,” Emma says.
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Winning mentality
Emma, who is from New South Wales, is also inspired by her siblings (she has nine siblings), one of whom is Belinda Wright, a member of the Australian women’s softball team that won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Incidentally, she was diagnosed with her condition when her elder sister had captured the aforementioned medal.
“She actually went to Beijing and got home a medal and that was the year I got diagnosed with diabetes. So it was a big year for our family. She is one of my biggest inspirations. To get a medal in the Olympics, it’s incredible. Her feat gives me that little bit of motivation. We have a little bit of sibling rivalry. She knows how to cope with the pressure of sports. She has helped me so much.”
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In the national team, she’s now working under the guidance of Santiago Nieva (he’s the head coach), a familiar face who has worked with the Indian national team as a high-performance director not so long ago. “He lets us be us (in regards to her boxing) which is really cool. He’s been really great for the team.”
With her performance inside the ring, she hopes to inspire more youngsters to take up the sport. She has been actively trying to raise awareness in her role as ambassador for Type1 Foundation. “I just try and raise as much awareness as possible and tell the young diabetics who have been told they can’t do sports that they can do sports,” Emma, who works as a teacher’s aide, says.
