Mayo boxer Natalia Fasciszewska from Castlebar has won a silver medal at her first ever U-23 European Championships.

Reaching the final in the 57kg category was a big achievement for the 20-year-old: “It was unreal. That's what I've always wanted. There was so much work put into it. I'm so grateful for everything,” Fasciszewska said beaming with joy, speaking to The Mayo News afterwards.

The Castlebar Boxing Club fighter had an impressive week in Budapest. Natalia claimed victories over Azerbaijan’s Aynur Mikayilova in the last-16, and Gabriella Weerheim of the Netherlands in the quarter-final, before stopping Georgia’s Khuraman Kasumova in round two of their semi-final.

In her final, Fasciszewska eventually found her master in Julia Szeremeta, the Polish champion and Olympic silver medalist from Paris 2024 who won on a unanimous decision.

Natalia Fasciszewska receiving the silver medal after the final against Julia Szeremetaat the U-23 European Championship in Budapest

“Julia is really good,” Fasciszewska acknowledged: “She's a world silver medallist. She's already a European champion as well and ranked number one in that weight in the world. She is a top class girl and I knew that coming into the fight. It's just, I think the nerves got to me a bit in that final. I felt like I could have performed a lot better. But silver for me is a huge achievement.”

The two actually met before, they sparred together and Szeremeta came over to the Mayo woman after the bout: “We had a nice chat and she was just saying that I've developed so much since the last time we sparred and that I'm so much better.”

Szeremeta encouraged the Castlebar boxer to 'keep going' because she is 'still young at this competition at 20 years of age.'

“She said: 'This is my last year, out of it and you're a top class girl.' We've nothing against each other. At the end of the day, we're friends, so there was no bad blood at all.”

FAMILY BONDS

But Fasciszewska admits: "I won't lie, it was the most stressful week of my life. It's because of the fights and I've been training for so long. Obviously putting in so much work and and going out there, all you want to do is get a medal at the Europeans. You don't want to come home without a medal. That's just how I felt."

She explains that she gets nervous before a fight, whether it's a big one or not. 

"If it's any bout for me, I'll get nervous. It's just the way I am. But when I was actually out there, I kind of handled it well."

That can certainly be said for winning the silver medal. And it probably helped, that Natalia had her parents sitting in the first row at the fights in Budapest to support her. 

"When I was coming out, I could just see them sitting there. It made me feel good as well, just seeing them there."

Her Dad Zdzisław has been coaching her since she was a little girl at about nine years of age. 

"Without him and the support and help of my coach Myles Cresham, I wouldn't have made it here," she points out.

Natalia at her home club together with intermediate Irish champ Rasheed Momoh on the left and Grace Bailey, who picked up the best youth boxer award at an event in Croatia on the right. In between club members Lusia McDonald, Alison Barrett and Bronwyn Nestor.

The homecoming from Hungary came as a bit of a surprise to Natalia. 

"I didn't even realise it was happening. I didn't know, and they were saying, 'Oh, go to the club at this time'. And I thought it was just going to be a little 'oh congratulations.' But we drove down and there were so many people and my family, everyone, my friends was all there. Even people I didn't even know, congratulating me. I was just so shocked. I didn't know what to say, really. I was just happy because I didn't expect it at all. I felt so supported."

Natalia will enjoy a well deserved little break. But next up will be the National Elite Championships in Dublin in January. 

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