Having come close to death twice, a bronze medal is not going to deter boxer Cheavon Clarke from rising to the top.

The 27-year-old, from Gravesham, was impaled on a metal spike when he was eight, before his heart stopped ten years later having his appendix removed. 

So, it is unsurprising that Clarke shrugs off what he considers to be a shortcoming at the Commonwealth Games, after losing to New Zealand’s David Nyika in the semi-final.

“I got a bronze medal, but I was not happy with the result because obviously I went there to get a gold medal,” he explained at the Team England homecoming celebration in Birmingham.

“In the situation I was not happy with it, but we live and we learn.

“We are up for any challenge. We do not back down from any challenge.

“We will go back, and we have got the Olympics to come, so we will progress.

“Before the Olympics, we have the European Championships and the World Championships, so we just take it one step at a time.

“Whatever the team says we do, we do - we are always ready.

“Whatever comes next, we are prepared.”

His determination has clearly been effective so far; his medal on the Gold Coast, in the 91kg category, an improvement on his first Commonwealth Games appearance in 2014.

Four years ago in Glasgow, competing for Jamaica, he crashed out in the first round.

Since then, he changed allegiance to England and won the England Boxing elite national finals in 2017, a victory which won him promotion to the GB boxing squad and then the podium squad.

His success has won him a legion of fans, some of whom he met in person at Saturday’s ceremony in Birmingham’s Victoria Square. 

“That was crazy. The support was phenomenal,” he reflected.

“To come here and see how many people have turned out is amazing in itself.

“The effort to come out and show support - I am very thankful for that and the whole team is very thankful for that.”

npower is the Official Partner of Team England and is giving our athletes the power of support by recording a brand new version of their anthem, Jerusalem. To listen to the track visit npower.com/teamengland