Preeti Sai Pawar: Accidental boxer eyes Asian Games, Olympics after Worlds shock and awe

Preeti Sai Pawar now looks to qualify for Asian Games and later for Paris Olympics. Image: Special arrangement

Most choose their own destiny. For some, it’s the other way around. For boxer Preeti Sai Pawar, it’s definitely the latter.

Four Indian boxers — Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, Nitu Ghangas and Saweety Boora — won gold at the recently-concluded World Championship in New Delhi. There’s one who didn’t win a medal but made the boxing world sit up and take notice.

Preeti’s (54kg) IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship campaign ended with a narrow defeat to Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong (who lost the World Championship final to Zareen in 2022) in the Round of 16. But it wasn’t before she handed a stunning defeat to 2022 silver medallist and World No 2 Perijoc Lacramioara (4-3) in the second round after a bout review.

While the Romanian suffered a setback, the pugilist from Bhiwani enjoyed one of the highs of her nascent career, made extra special by the surprising turn her life has taken in the last five years.

At 14, in eighth standard, Preeti loved studying and sports was nowhere in the picture. That changed when her father, Somveer Sai Pawar, assistant sub-inspector in Haryana Police, and uncle Vinod Sai Pawar, a boxing coach, motivated her to take up boxing inspired by the events around them.

“Sports wasn’t my priority. I was good in my studies and always got positions in my classes. I was also very active in co-curricular activities,” Preeti tells Firstpost. “I never thought that I will be a sportsperson, but my father and uncle motivated me to enter this field. In the beginning, I told them that I cannot do this and won’t become a boxer but slowly after I started competing and training, my interest in boxing rose and then I continued with the sport.”

“There was a growing interest among girls to take up sports in Haryana back then after Sakshi Malik won the Olympic bronze (medal) in 2014 and the movie Dangal had come in 2017. Everyone felt that girls can be successful in sports,” the 19-year-old shares.

There’s not much to complain about for Preeti. She may be an accidental boxer, but the ring has become her happy place, something that has fetched her significant victories in the meteoric rise.

After winning silver (Guwahati 2020) and gold (Panchkula 2021) medals at the Khelo India Youth Games, Preeti won silver at the Youth Asian Championships in 2021. Her switch to the senior level also started with a bang — with a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Championships in her first event at that level.

It seems surreal. The first time she entered the ring in a competition, it ended in a crushing defeat. She was inconsolable, but her father and uncle, with whom she trains in Meham (in Rohtak, Haryana), had just one advice — trust the process.

“My first bout was in the junior state level tournament and I lost that and got very nervous and emotional. That was when my father and uncle consoled me and made me understand that in a bout, one has to lose. ‘A defeat at the start is not a surprise. Your focus should be on becoming better with every fight and then victories and medals will come’. I was very emotional then, and could not control my tears,” the boxer, who is also studying BSc in Health and Physical Education from Lovely Professional University, recalls.

The way Preeti handled the No 1 seed Lacramioara at the World Championship was a long distance from her early days. Displaying maturity, Preeti neutralised an aggressive Lacramioara’s game by not engaging with her in close quarters. Instead of relying on close exchanges, Preeti made full use of the ring with her quick movement and earned the victory with the help of a counterattack.

“Perijoc was seeded No 1 so naturally I had some nervousness but once I entered the ring, it went away. In the ring, you only look at the fighter and not at their rankings. The first round went in my favour 3-2. The coaches asked me to maintain a distance and I followed the same but the second round was won by her 2-3. My coaches told me to give my best and I changed my strategy for the third round. She was more comfortable in taking the close punches, so I decided to step back a little and counterattack. Fortunately, this worked for me,” she explains.

She had defeated Hanna Lakotar of Hungary in the opening round via RSC (Referee Stops Contest). Her campaign however ended against Jitpong, a fight that taught the boxer that it’s important to have an equally good attacking and counter-attacking game besides better stamina.

“I have gained a lot of confidence from the Worlds campaign, but the defeat taught me that I need to be better with my decision making. I had the lead against Jitpong but later surrendered it with some confusion in mind,” she admits.

Apart from her uncle and father, Preeti also credits Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) for her rapid progress. She has been training at the Bellary-based institute since 2021.

“At the institute, I get to spar with different female boxers. In Haryana, I only get to spar with boys. IIS has taken us to training camps outside India. Even foreign contingents come to the institute. They have supported me all the way since 2021 including providing all types of equipment.”

The strong performances so far have seen her compete in the Olympic weight category (54kg) and with the Asian Games starting on 23 September in Hangzhou, China, Preeti’s focus is on qualifying for the continental event and later gaining entry into the Paris Olympics.

“I want to continue in 54kg and the aim is Asian Games for now because Olympic qualifications will happen from there,” Preeti signed off.

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