GREY Ranks Amateur Boxing Club’s Libys McGuinness has claimed a silver medal at the National Championships in the under-81kg weight class.

The tournament, in Swindon, saw McGuinness, 21, advance to the final after beating her opponent on a unanimous decision to claim the Western Counties title.

However, in the final she lost on a unanimous decision to finish second, losing out to Bolton’s Cindy Ngamba.

Her coach, Martin Fojt said: “It is a massive achievement.

“When she came to my gym and I started training her she was 106kg and now she is 81kg and number three in England.

“She is doing a great job. She was absolutely outstanding in her fights.”

McGuiness is always accompanied by her father, who makes the effort to watch each one of her fights, even travelling as far afield as Dublin for the boxing.

McGuinness has been training at Grey Ranks for about four years

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now and the club say they are very proud.

Fojt added: “We are extremely proud of her because Libys is first boxer who has won a medal at the National Championships for the Grey Ranks Amateur Boxing Club in Weymouth.

“Two fantastic fights on highest boxing level shows how much Libys achieved in the past years.”

McGuinness balances studying paramedicine at the University of the West of England with being the president of the university’s boxing club and being the secretary for Grey Ranks.

McGuiness is also now a qualified boxing coach, and has been training for seven years.

Next up for McGuinness there will be a break, but in January she will head to Sweden for an international tournament, while the Haringey Cup will be in July.