New Delhi: Sakshi Chaudhary has been a constant presence in the Indian team, but this is the first time she will participate in the Commonwealth Games. A junior world champion in 2015 and a two-time world youth champion, the 25-year-old boxer from Bhiwani has seen opportunities slip away. When she missed qualification for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by a whisker, Sakshi was heartbroken. She returned to the ring with renewed purpose and hunger.
Event Context
So determined was Sakshi to compete at the CWG that she dropped to 51kg class from her usual 54kg. That division is dominated by Paris Olympian Preeti Sai Pawar, one of India’s best boxers at the moment. Preeti secured her place at the CWG by winning the bantamweight gold medal at the Asian Championships.
The challenge in 51kg was even bigger with two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen and reigning 48kg world champion Minakshi Hooda also in contention. Sakshi, however, was determined not to miss another chance, and she did it in emphatic fashion, beating Zareen 4-1 and then getting the better of Minakshi in the selection trials at Patiala.
“I wasn’t able to perform well in that bout, and then Covid came. There was no other qualification tournament. It was a big blow because I was so close to qualifying. Then my family supported me and brought me back to the ring. I kept thinking about that loss for a long time.
“I told myself that I wouldn’t stop training, whether I was winning or losing. This is the mindset I built, and I carried on. It has been a long journey, and I have put in a lot of hard work to come this far.”
Last year, she won the gold medal at the World Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan but lost in the round of 16 at the World Championships in 54kg. She will have to be more consistent.
Her victory over Nikhat is one of the most talked-about bouts. Sakshi said she was fully prepared to face the two-time world champion.
“In the 51kg, there is a lot of competition. For me, cutting weight was also a challenge,” said the tall Sakshi. “I cut my hair and wore a hot suit during training. It was my only opportunity and I decided I would give it everything. I prepared for the new weight class in less than a month. I didn’t think about the result, I just wanted to give my best. I fought Nikhat from a distance and used my reach to score. It was one of my best fights.”
For someone who took up boxing in 2012 inspired by Vijender Singh’s Beijing Olympics bronze, it has been a 14-year wait for Sakshi to come this far. Now, she believes she can deliver at the CWG and the Asian Games which follows.
Player Focus
“This is my first Games. I am excited, but I’m also mentally focused. It’s a mix of emotions. I don’t want to think about the results. I want to focus on my performance,” says Sakshi.
That confidence can come only from one who has experienced the highs and lows of the sport.
Match Outlook
“In 2020 when I went for the Olympic qualifier, I lost the fight against a Korean boxer that could have taken me to the Olympics, and that was very hard.” She was then competing in 57kg.
