Zurich Municipal in conversation with Nicola Adams OBE
07/21/2021
Last month, during the ALARM 2021 Conference we hosted a Zurich Municipal in conversation with former Olympic boxer, Nicola Adams OBE session. During this virtual session Nicola joined us in reflecting on some of the most challenging moments in her career, her experiences of risk and resilience in relation to her sport and of having the determination to never give up. Finding the balance between risk and reward is a concept many working on with insurance will appreciate. Below are just some of the highlights from this session with Nicola.
Please note: Nicola Adams does not endorse Zurich Insurance or its products and services, and she spoke at our virtual event in a private capacity as an athlete.
Introduction
Nicola Adams OBE is officially Great Britain's most successful female boxer of all time. In August 2016, Nicola achieved what was the proudest moment of her career, in becoming the first British boxer to successfully defend their Olympic title for 92 years. Having also become World Amateur Champion in May 2016; she is the only female boxer in the history of the sport to have won every major title available to her - Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth.
How have you remained resilient and focused?
Nicola said: “I think in the beginning when women's boxing wasn't an Olympic sport, that was when it was really tough because we [women boxers] had everything against us. A lot of boxing clubs didn't even accept female boxers. There were a lot of coaches that didn't train female boxers - they didn't want to let us into tournaments or competitions. So it was really tough at times to keep that determination and to have that motivation to keep going - because sometimes I did think it would be easier to do a different sport, as it was so hard not having any funding or any backing. I think if it wasn't for my coaches and my friends and my family that got behind me and kept me motivated and focused, I might not have kept boxing.”
In terms of resilience, where do you think that came from?
Nicola explained: “As I mentioned, it was because of my coaches, friends and family. I saw so many female boxers, that could have been unbelievable, but they just retired because they didn't have enough money to be able to train full time. Plus, I was just so passionate about boxing. I just wanted to show people what women boxers could really do, and what we're about. And I felt like I got that [opportunity] every time I was able to compete. I changed somebody else's mind about women's boxing. I believe you're only as good as you train. So , I guess I just wanted to prove people wrong. I wanted the next generation to not have to struggle in the way that I did growing up, with women having to fight to do every sport.”
Do you consciously think about risk when you enter the ring and how do you calculate it?
Nicola said: “In boxing, every move you make is calculated for risk and with every shot you throw you're thinking ‘how am I going to get a counter punch from my opponent?’ ‘How are they going to catch me back after I throw this shot?’ So you're always calculating the risk of every move you make, because every move you make potentially means your opponent could score points. And if you miss, or they happen to block the shot, there's another shot coming back - you've got to be prepared for the counter punches that will be coming back towards you. You’ve got to be very quick, very calculated and very smart about the risks that you take.
Nicola added: “The more experience you get, the more able you are to read your opponent. For example, I might throw out a shot, just to see what their reactions are, to see whether they shy away from the punch - see whether the shot hurts or they get angry or come forward. If I'm missing a lot of punches, then I'm going to walk out with my foot position, making sure that I can get them back onto the ropes - where it'll be a lot harder for them to move out of the way of those punches. People don't realise there's a lot of thinking that goes into boxing, you can't just go in there [the ring]. You’re always trying to train and test things out to see what the reaction of the opponent is going to be.”
As insurers we recognise that while risk is unavoidable, there are always ways to reduce the potential impacts and increase resilience, something reflected in our conversation with Nicola. Whether it’s through advanced training, effective processes in identifying risks, or mitigation action; there are ways to combat risk. We regularly publish our latest insights and expertise on these topics, which you can sign up to receive our monthly newsletter here.
