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AAP
AAP
Roger Vaughan

Fijian to win historic medal in women's Games boxing

Fijian Jasmine Daunakamakama will win a medal at her debut Commonwealth Games. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Veteran Sri Lankan Keshani Hansika must be sick of coming up against Cameron Todd-connected boxers at the Commonwealth Games.

Todd cut a proud figure on Thursday morning (AEST) as Jasmine Daunakamakama added lustre to her history-making Glasgow campaign.

The first woman to box for Fiji at the Games will win a medal after her split-decision win over Hansika in their quarter-final.

Jasmine Daunakamakama
Jasmine Daunakamakama (blue) takes on Keshaini Hansika in the Women's 57kg Boxing quarter-finals. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

It's eight years since Todd's ex-wife Alex Pritchard, boxing for New Zealand, also beat Hansika in a quarter-final at the Gold Coast games.

Todd noted that after only three years in the sport, Daunakamakama had beaten a fighter with more than 100 bouts under her belt.

"I'm super-proud of her," Todd said.

Daunakamakama was in tears as the reality of what was happening hit home.

"Every step I take, my dream becomes more real. It's quite overwhelming," she said.

"I've dreamed about this since I was 10. My younger self would be so proud.

"It's pretty wild ... I didn't want to aim for superficial goals. This whole journey has been driven from my internal state and how truthful I can be when I step into the ring, how well I can perform.

"To even have a medal is just a bonus. It's incredible, having so much growth."

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That journey has not been straightforward. Last year, she could not compete at the world championships when the Fijian was among a group of women whose controversial gender tests arrived too late for the event.

But she rallied and the noise in the crowd during the quarter-final showed the support that Daunakamakama has built around her campaign.

"It wouldn't be possible without my loved ones and my boxing family, my friends all around the Pacific, all around the world," she said.

This AAP article was made possible by support from Commonwealth Games Australia.

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