BRIA Fielding is boxing clever as she attempts to follow in the footsteps of Olympic champion Nicola Adams.

The Accrington Academy student is aiming to win her first national title later this month and secure a place in the World Championships in Taiwan in May.

And the 16-year-old sees these as stepping stones in her ultimate goal of representing Great Britain in the Olympic Games.

Bria, who has been boxing for five and half years, has recently returned from the fourth Nations Cup which were held in Serbia where she won a superb bronze medal.

She has already fought for England four times, competing in the European Championships in Italy and also in an international in Holland.

For Bria, who competes at 60kg, it is all about gaining experience.

She first took up the sport at Roche’s Boxing Club in Burnley under Brian Roche just as a way of keeping fit.

She then moved on to work with Yaqoob Hussain in Blackburn before joining arches and Savick Gym in Preston.

“It’s a fantastic sport and one I was first introduced to when I was 10,” said Bria, who lives in Church. “I now train regularly at Larches and Savick Gym in Preston and hope to continue to represent my country at international level, with my ultimate goal obviously being the Olympics.”

In Serbia, Bria represented England in the fourth Nations Cup - the first European International Women’s boxing tournament held at the sports hall of Subotica.

There were a total of 176 other female boxers from 21 countries across Europe and she finished an impressive third place to pick up a bronze medal.

Dad Craig said it is all part of of learning experience which he hopes will see Bria go right to the top.

“Bria trains under Dave Fitzgerald and Lisa Whiteside who is number three in the world at 57kg and they both say she has what it takes to go to the top.

“Competing in international events and representing England is all part of the learning experience for Bria. She wants to compete in the Olympic Games and these sort of competitions will definitely help her.”

Bria, who trains three or four nights a week at Larches and also does strength and conditioning coaching in Kirkham, will compete in the National Championships in Northumberland from February 20-22.

She is likely to be up against four-times champion Shona Whitewell who Bria lost to in the 2013 finals but was selected ahead of for England.

“The fact that Bria was picked ahead of Shona for England shows exactly what they coaches think of her.”