Frankie Gavin out of the Games

[Conrad]

Here's an interview with Gavin's coach, goes a long way to explaining why he didn't make weight. Interesting read if true, especially if like me you initially thought Gavin himself or his coach was to blame...

Frankie Gavins Coach Furious

Tom Chaney, Frankie's coach last night accused the British squad’s leaders of letting down their star fighter, by sending him home saying he could not shed the final 3lb.

The 60kg division was widely expected to be Gavin's chance of gold but Hall Green ABC's Chaney blasted the GB team for their treatment of Frankie.

Chaney said that they were aware of Frankie's ever increasing weight and ignored the advice for him to move up a division. Frankie was reportedly suffering from cracked tongue and other dehydration related signs in the run up to the event.

Speaking to reporter Ian Johnson :-

“Everybody who went to the Olympics had to sign an agreement not to talk about their experiences when they got home without permission yet Frankie hasn’t had that permission as yet and therefore cannot say anything except how sorry he is about what happened and that he is gutted at being sent home.

“What many people do not know, but Team GB did, was that for the last few months Frankie has been killing himself in training just to keep his weight down.

“As part of the team’s preparation they meet up every week in Sheffield and train from Monday to Thursday before returning to their home gyms.

“Frankie Gavin went to the Olympic Games proud to be British, proud to be a Brummie and proud to represent Hall Green ABC.

“He has come back severely hurt, let down, angry and, in my view, conned out of a gold medal.

“It goes back to the World Championships in Chicago earlier this year where he had a huge problem to get down to the 60-kilo weight. But he did it, went on to win the gold medal (the first Brit ever to do so) and to qualify for the Olympic Games.

“Frankie and I sat down and decided that it was the right time to turn professional. He was world champion and big offers came in from the pro ranks.

“But the amateur authorities came back at us. Frankie was offered a larger grant, which is a million miles away from the reported £70,000 he is supposedly getting, and told him they would get him ready for the Olympics.

“We wanted Frankie to move up to the 64k division but they wouldn’t have that. Bradley Saunders was in that division and it would have meant one of them dropping out after a box-off to go to Beijing.

“That would have weakened the team. They wanted two boxers with medal-winning prospects not one.

“Frankie was worried about the weight problem. He was told quite categorically not to worry and that they would ensure that they got the weight off him. The lure of the Olympics played a massive part. Winning a gold would have been huge and it would also have been a big incentive when joining the professional ranks.

“We decided to stay amateur and I accept my part in making that decision. But the end result is that Frankie has been let down.

“They promised to look after him and they didn’t.”