The European Olympic boxing qualifying tournament starts again on Friday – 445 days after it was put on hold.

The event opened at the Copper Box Arena on the Saturday, moved behind-closed-doors on the Sunday and was suspended by the Monday.

This week it resumes in Paris – picking up exactly where it stopped all those months ago.

That means 10 British boxers will once again have the chance – their only chance – to secure their place at Tokyo 2020.

A further two – Galal Yafai and Peter McGrail – were lucky enough to confirm their spots before the original event was suspended but they will compete in Paris as their performances will affect seeding at the Games.

BBC Sport spoke to three boxers all hoping to make their first Olympics this weekend.

Caroline Dubois – ‘I’ve been blessed with amazing talents’

At 20 years old, Caroline Dubois feels the year-long delay to the Olympics was a “blessing in disguise”.

Still a teenager during last year’s qualifiers, her first-round win against Ala Staradub of Belarus was her first senior fight.

But Dubois – whose older brother Daniel also returns to the ring this weekend – feels the extra 14 months of preparation have left her better off.

“At the time I was really upset,” she says. “I felt frustrated. I felt it was my year. But obviously God had a different plan. Now I can see why. Because now I feel I’ve matured.

“I’m 20 years old now. I feel stronger and mentally stronger as well and that’s the most important thing.”

Remarkably, lightweight Dubois’ first opponent on Friday evening is twice her age.

Mira Potkonen, a 40-year-old mother-of-two and Rio 2016 bronze medallist, will represent the toughest obstacle of her young career so far.

“I’ve been blessed with amazing talents,” says Dubois, who won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2019.

“I got on the squad at 19 and I’ve taken over so many boxers who are talented, who have medalled, who have performed and that just shows how good I am and how much belief I have in myself.

“I don’t really care about what anybody else has – I only care what I have. I’m just going to go out there and perform the best I can.”

When she was 11 years old, Dubois was pretending to be a boy called Colin so she could box at the same club as her older brothers.

She watched the Olympics take place in her home city and was inspired. Now she can write her own – real – name in the history books.

Lauren Price – ‘I’m just excited now. As long as I perform I’ll be fine’

For Lauren Price the 2020 Olympics seemed to be coming at the perfect time.

The Welsh fighter was heading into the original Games as the world, Commonwealth and European Games champion and had not been beaten in more than a year.

But the 26-year-old says she has used the extra year to get even better.

“It’s been mentally challenging. Not knowing if the qualifiers were happening,” she says, as the tournament was originally rescheduled for London in April before being postponed again.

“It’s been hard trying to stay on top of training. But the last couple of months I’ve just knuckled down. You only get one shot don’t you?

“I’m back to feeling myself, training hard, feeling fit, hitting PBs in training. I’m just excited now. As long as I perform I’ll be fine.

Price – who was raised by her grandparents – won kickboxing world titles as a youngster before taking up football and representing Wales.

After switching to boxing in 2014, the middleweight has never looked back.

She will take on French fighter Davina Michel on French soil first.

If she wins, she knows she will be one fight away from fulfilling a lifelong ambition.

“The Olympic Games have been a dream of mine since I was eight years of age,” she says.

“Not Covid or anything like that will stop my mentality from changing. So it’ll mean everything to qualify and book my seat on that plane to Tokyo.”

Frazer Clarke – ‘I’ll be giving it everything in there’

The re-arranged Tokyo Olympics have been an even longer time coming for super heavyweight Frazer Clarke.

The 29-year-old has been on the GB Boxing programme for more than a decade – missing out on selection for London 2012 to Anthony Joshua and for Rio 2016 to Joe Joyce.

Since then he has been top dog but say she had to have “a few harsh words” with himself after lockdown to make sure this latest Olympic chance did not slip away.

“Being dead honest, being here for such a long time I maybe went a bit stale,” the 2018 Commonwealth champion says. “I had a bit of a ‘number two’ mentality for a long time.

“I remember coming into this gym after lockdown struggling to do a round on the bag, struggling to run round the track. The most honest I could be was looking in the mirror and saying you’re not representing yourself how you should.

“There’s only me that can change it. I feel in the last six months I’ve really knuckled down and done that.”

Clarke already has a reason to celebrate. Just two weeks ago his son, Trent, was born.

Time with him has been at a premium since but a first Olympic Games would make it all worthwhile.

“I’d burst into tears, I’ll be honest,” he says. “It’s been a dream for me for so long.

“I didn’t think I could be more motivated but little Trent Clarke comes along and as soon as you see him, I want to make him proud and try to secure his future. I’ll be giving it everything in there, 18 minutes and I’ll change my life – I’ll be an Olympian.”

Clarke got a bye into the last 16 last year. There he will face Marko Milun – bronze medallist at 2019 European Games.

Like Dubois and Price, he will then just be one fight away from Tokyo.

Full GB Boxing team:

Women

Charley Davison (flyweight, 51kg)

Karriss Artingstall (featherweight, 57kg)

Caroline Dubois (lightweight, 60kg)

Lauren Price (middleweight, 75kg)

Men

Galal Yafai (flyweight, 52kg)

Peter McGrail (featherweight, 57kg)

Luke McCormack (lightweight, 63kg)

Pat McCormack (welterweight, 69kg)

Lewis Richardson (middleweight, 75kg)

Ben Whittaker (light heavyweight, 81kg)

Cheavon Clarke (heavyweight, 91kg)

Frazer Clarke (super heavyweight, 91kg+)