Tiana Echegaray

Sydney bantamweight Tiana Echegaray only started boxing in 2019 for fitness, but the sport soon became a passion because of the positive habits and lifestyle changes it brought.

“Boxing was changing my lifestyle and instilling positive behavioural habits,” Tiana said. “I started competing and it was hard work, but I didn’t stop. Next thing I knew I won the Australian title and I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.”

She claimed her first NSW title within six months of taking up the sport and her first Australian title win came in 2022 – she describes it as the “defining moment” of her career. Then she picked up another one in 2023.

Tiana, 30, punched her card for the Paris Olympics when she secured a quota place with a gold medal at the Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, in November 2023. She scored a unanimous points decision over Tonga’s Hainite Kayla Tuitupou in the women’s 54kg division.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women’s -54kg preliminary round of 16, the then 30-year-old on Olympic debut lost to Hatice Akbas (TUR) 5:0.

“Hatice was very good. There is no shame in losing to a very skilled opponent,” Tiana said moments after the bout.

“Anytime I fight someone incredibly skilled it makes me realise I have so much more to learn and it's a learning curve in the sport of boxing and that’s what I love about it."

A graduate of the Australian Institute of Fitness, Tiana works as a personal trainer and boxing instructor.