Last Month, West Ham Amateur Boxing Club’s Viddal Riley secured a silver medal in the Junior European Championships in Anapa, Russia.

The medal was 16-year-old Londoner Viddal’s first in a major international tournament, and he beat opponents from Ukraine, Albania and Georgia along the way.

Viddal wrote a blog about his experiences for the ABAE website during the championships:

“Boxing in the European Championships was a nerve-racking experience. I had a total of four bouts out in Russia and before every one I felt confident, but at the same time I was nervous to be competing at such a high level.

I believe that little bit of nerves makes me react quicker in the ring and brings out the best in me. These nerves resulted in me taking home a silver medal which is my first major international tournament medal.

Boxing, I always started off fast because I know the first round is the most crucial. I took some hard punches that damaged my lip during my quarter-final match-up but I still went on to win the fight…”

To read more about Viddal’s experience, click here