Dr. Keith Nord’s summer trip to the London Olympics started many years ago at a boxing ring in downtown Jackson.

At the time, the orthopedic surgeon had no idea that working with the Jackson Boxing Club would lead to his being the team doctor for the U.S. boxers in the 2012 Summer Olympics. It would give him a front row seat to many of the event’s highlights.

His main job at the Olympics was to be onsite as the U.S. Olympic boxers trained, exercised and competed. While in London, he also covered some track and field events, was on call for emergencies, and worked in the U.S. medical clinic that was set up in the Olympic Village.

Women’s boxing was new to the Olympics this year, and Dr. Nord saw boxer Claressa Shields win America’s only gold medal in boxing at the 2012 Olympics and the first U.S. women’s gold in boxing. He sat with the U.S. swim team as swimmer Michael Phelps earned his 18th and 19th Olympic medals, setting a new record for most medals won by a single individual.

He also saw U.S. athletes win the gold medal in men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and women’s beach volleyball. He met many athletes, including players on the U.S. gold medal women’s soccer team and Jamaican runner Usain Bolt. He was walking out of the cafeteria when the Queen of England pulled up to visit athletes at the Olympic Village.

His family — his wife, Laura, and three children — even joined him at some of the Olympic events. All in all, he said, it was one of the best experiences of his life. “The Olympics is the pinnacle of sports,” he said. “Treating the highest level of athletes so they can compete is the highest form of sports medicine. Just being there was a highlight.”

Dr. Nord, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder of Sports Orthopedics and Spine in Jackson, first worked as the team doctor for the local boxing club. As local boxers competed in the Golden Gloves and other events, he met other boxing officials. He was asked to teach a ringside medicine course in Colorado Springs where USA Boxing contenders and Olympic boxers trained.

He was the team doctor for USA Boxing at the world championships for women in Barbados in 2010 and for men and women’s boxing at the Pan American games in Mexico in 2011.

He was invited to spend two weeks working at the U.S. Olympic training center before he was officially selected as the team doctor for U.S. boxers at the Olympics. As a team doctor and ringside official, he treats a variety of boxing injuries.

Broken noses, facial cuts and hand injuries are common. His No. 1 responsibility, he says, is to prevent permanent head injuries. At the Olympics, he ended up treating all kinds of ailments, from the common cold to shoulder dislocations and fractures.

He called the Summer Olympics the “year of the female.” The United States had more female athletes competing than male athletes, they won more medals than the men did, and they won more medals than women from any other nation. United States athletes, both male and female, won a total of 104 gold medals.

Team USA spirit was high, Dr. Nord said. Everywhere he went he saw American athletes wearing their USA navy athletic jerseys, one of the many gifts they received from Nike. “You could spot USA everywhere,” he said. “It was an honor to be chosen as a team doctor for the Olympics. It was great to be part of Team USA.”