CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – One day in October two years ago, Casey Lauren Dial stood outside American Pride Boxing in what she says was the worst shape she had ever been in. She debated whether to go inside or go back home. She stepped inside.
Today, Dial is preparing for the Olympic trials in women’s boxing.
“If someone would have asked me even a year ago if I thought I could be competing in the Olympics, I probably would have laughed at them,” said Dial, now 26. “I want this; I want this more than anything in the world.”
10 and 3 wild card
Dial has 10 wins under her belt, and only three losses. She has competed locally multiple times and fought in two national tournaments. She placed first in USA Boxing’s Women’s National Championship in Ohio and earned her wild card entry at the Last Chance Olympic Qualifier in Colorado this year by finishing in the top four.
Dial’s grueling training isn’t a one-man job. Coach David Orozco with American Pride Boxing said it is a group effort, with the help of many of the coaches at their gym to keep Dial not only in fighting shape, but improving. That even extends to making sure she’s eating properly.
“It’s hard. The running, lifting weights and the training – that’s the easy part for me,” Dial told Clarksville Now. “Staying mentally focused – that’s hard. When you’re not doing so well, a lot of times that results in you getting punched in the face. It’s hard to stay motivated sometimes.”
Dial has always pushed the envelope with her goals. She joined American Pride just to get in shape. But then she pushed further and joined in on boxing. Then she wanted to compete. Now that she’s competing, the goal is simple: “I want it more than anything in the world. I grew up playing sports all my life, but I was one of those kids that everyone said, ‘You’re so talented but you’re wasting your potential,'” Dial told Clarksville Now.
“I got tired of that. So I dove into boxing full force. I’m not going to cheat myself anymore, and for me, this means everything,” she said. “End game? I want that Olympic gold medal.”
Road to the Olympics
The road to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, is certain to be a long haul for Dial, who entered these trials as a wild card applicant.
“She’s going to be fighting some of the best fighters in the country,” Orozco said, “women that have been fighting and studying the craft for years.”
According to Orozco, and information obtained from the USA Boxing website, the top two winners in the Olympic trials’ tournament in Lafayette, Louisiana, will receive an invitation to a selection process. USA Boxing will then determine the candidate based off a strict criterion. If chosen, that candidate will have to then qualify in a world tournament, which will be held in Italy and Thailand in 2024.
Whoever wins the world tournament will qualify to compete in the Olympics.
“She’s got all the talent to make it and win,” Orozco said. “She hits very solid, she’s a strong and competitive person, and I think that she has what it takes to go all the way.”