Despite having the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge behind her, the gleaming white Opera House to one side, and excited media clamouring for interviews, Emma-Sue Greentree’s eyes remained firmly fixed on the gold garment she cradled – on this special occasion – in unbandaged hands.

Greentree, the world’s No.3 ranked female boxer in the 75 kilo division, admitted to feeling overwhelmed to finally have an Australian Commonwealth Games team shirt, describing it as the fulfilment of a long held dream which started as a young runner before becoming a high jumper who won the NSW state under-14 title following a dramatic ‘jump off,’ then women’s rugby player, and, at 17, a heptathlon athlete.

However, when the now 27 year old realised a decade ago that she wasn’t making the same progress as her opponents, she found something special inside the boxing ring after entering it for her first fight after a few short weeks of training.

“Was I a natural? Well, I think the competitiveness you need to box came naturally, along with the coordination,” said Greentree, one of the stars of the NSWIS Lights Up Glasgow series featuring five of the Institute’s athletes who’ll compete at the Commonwealth Games, of her foray into the fight game.

“But I did have a background in sport, and I think it was the right fit for me.”

Pushing her as she throws thousands upon thousands of punches under the tutelage of Central Coast-based boxing trainer Dean Robinson is the desire to emulate . . . well, these days it’s to better . . . her sister Belinda’s feat of winning a bronze medal with the Australian women’s softball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Greentree – one of 10 children – now smiles at the memory of being a teenager who regularly scrawled on scraps of paper: ‘I want to be an Olympian’ as a means to reaffirm her lofty goal. She just didn’t know what sport it would be in.

And that’s why being named in the Glasgow-bound Aussie boxing team – and modelling the team’s apparel produced by NSWIS partner, Valour – was so important to her. It represented yet another step towards her becoming an Olympian.

It’s surreal,” said Greentree, who will compete in Glasgow ranked the No.1 contender, at the Valour launch. “Wearing the green and gold is something I’ve dream of since a little girl, and to be actually wearing it is . . . amazing.

“To be finally named in the team is just a surreal feeling.

A Who’s Who of Australian boxing have used the Commonwealth Games as their launching pad for even bigger things. Former professional world champions Daniel Geale, Robbie Peden and Skye Nicholson were ‘Çomm’ Games gold medallists; Tony Madigan, Australia’s most successful Commonwealth Games boxer fought Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali at the 1960 Rome Olympics, finishing with a bronze medal, Graham ‘Spike’ Cheney converted his bronze into Olympic silver, Harry Garside’s gold Commonwealth Games medal rests alongside his Tokyo Olympic bronze, Jeff ‘Hitman’ Harding won a Commonwealth Games silver before becoming world champion while Lenny Zapavigna upgraded his prized bronze to a world title belt.

Greentree made it clear she plans to join them on Australia’s list of Commonwealth Games gold medallists, but her ultimate goal is to become the first Australian – male or female  – to win the Olympic gold medal.

“If I win gold medal  . . .  when I get a gold medal at the Comm Games . . . it’s going to tell me I deserve to  be here,” Greentree replied after being asked what success in Glasgow would mean. “I’ve done the work, my team has done it, and we can definitely get the gold medal at the Olympics, too!”

“I’m currently ranked No.3 in the world for amateurs in the 75 kilo division. So, [LA] is two years away and you can do a lot in two years. To become Australia’s first [Olympic] gold medallist in boxing, that would be unreal  . . . crazy.”

However, Greentree, who is employed as a Special and Inclusive Education Teacher’s Aide for the NSW Department of Education, must fight an insidious opponent every day of her life – Type 1 Diabetes. It can make, for instance, such things as the fighter’s curse – cutting weight – a minefield.

One of her key messages for anyone with diabetes is to not allow it to stop them from following their dreams. Greentree, who manages her condition using a continuous glucose monitor that tracks her blood sugar levels and sends data to her phone, remembers the moment she decided it would never define who she is.

“Seeing my mum cry for the first time,” was Greentree’s recollection of being diagnosed as a nine year old who wouldn’t let diabetes stop her. “She’s a pretty tough egg, so I didn’t expect her to cry. I looked at her and I just said, ‘don’t worry about it mum, we’ve got this’. That showed I wasn’t going to let it affect me and she had nothing to worry about.

“You don’t need to stop and like Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy [World Indoor 60m silver medallist, and winner of last April’s National men’s 100m title in a time of 9.96 seconds], seeing him achieve massive things as a Type 1 Diabetic, that inspires me.”

Coach Robinson said Greentree’s dedication to the sport, and progress despite her medical condition, spoke volumes for her grit ‘n grace.

“Being a Type 1 Diabetic . . . to battle that and be a High Performance athlete is pretty remarkable, “said Robinson who also trained professional world title contender and 2004 Athens Olympian, Jamie Pittman.

“[As for her boxing] we get better every time we go out,  and that’s very impressive – she’s a very, very good style of an athlete.”

Greentree, who will be joined in Scotland by fellow NSWIS scholarship athlete Lachlan Lawson (Men’s 90 kilos) in Australia’s eight-athlete strong squad, enters the tournament with rich credentials including two world championship bronze medals and the gold medal from last year’s World Boxing Cup Finals held in India. She also has the tools of a tough old trade to make life tough for each of her opponents in the so-called ‘Friendly Games.

“I like to be aggressive,” she has previously said of her strengths. “I’m strong. I like to overwhelm my opponent. I can box from off the back foot if needed, but I want to be pushing forward.

“I like my jab, it’s a good, stiff jab that stops them . . . kind of freezes them [from putting their punches together] . . . but my coach wants me to ensure I mix it up between the head and body and put my right hand behind it. I’m always learning, and there’s always things to add on.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS

Tags 2026BoxingCommonwealth GamesEmma-Sue Greentree

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