CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) - Chula Vista boxer Andrea Medina has a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream before she even turns 21.
Monday, she'll begin fighting in the Team USA Olypmic Team Trials for boxing, with a chance to go to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
"I feel like this is my time," she says. "It's what I've been working for. It's exciting. I'm ready."
Medina has been boxing since she was 5 years old. She's already won 16 National Championships.
At the trials, she'll face 7 other women vying for two spots at the Team USA training center in Colorado Springs.
"I've already fought half of them," she says of the competition. "And I've sparred against the other half. So I know who I'm going up against."
Medina's father, Juan, is a former boxer and serves as her trainer. He says she's the favorite to advance out of the double-elimination tournament.
"I'm biased, but if I were to put a percentage on it, I'd say we have a high 90's percent chance," he says.
He also says he's proud of the way his daughter has dedicated her life to the sport and the pursuit of her dream.
"You have to prioritize. You can't chose other things over boxing," he says. "Boxing is a jealous sport. So you have to pretty much surrender yourself to the sport. She made that choice and now we're here.'
In addition to her boxing, Medina is also a full-time student at San Diego State. She's majoring in Criminal Justice.
She says representing San Diego and her country in the Olympics would mean "everything."
"This has been my dream since I was 8 years old and started competing," she says. "I love it. I don't think I could live without it."
