Tokyo 2020: Pooja Rani makes a mark on boxing debut

An Olympics debut can be a tricky affair. It can energise an athlete to the top of their game, like it did with sabre fencer Bhavani Devi on Tuesday. It can also bring an athlete down with doubts and anxieties. Pooja Rani’s mind was playing games with her since the morning of her debut. She could not shake off the negative thoughts. “What if I lose? How bad will it be to exit in the first round?”

The 30-year-old boxer from Haryana, a two-time Asian champion, wanted to rush to the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, put on her boxing gloves and be done with the bout.

“It was so stressful,” Rani said, after what turned out to be an easy win where she connected with just about every punch she threw at Algeria’s Ichrak Chaib. “Ring mein jane ke bad relax ho gayi (I felt relaxed when I entered the ring).”

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With this win, Rani moved into the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, one win away from a guaranteed bronze, joining Lovlina Borgohain, who won her round of 16 match on July 27. They will be hoping for Mary Kom’s company too; Kom has her round of 16 bout on July 29.

Rani walked to the ring sporting her usual black bandana and immediately got down to working Chaib, who was also making her Olympic debut. Chaib’s spirited aggression was met with smart and precise counters from Rani. The difference in experience and skill was marked. Rani feinted with her right, saw Chaib’s eyes follow her hand and landed a solid left. Then Rani connected with a left hook that made Chaib wobble and lose her balance.

The intent was clear from the opening minute. Rani had found her range and she was going to dictate. It didn’t bother her that Chaib was a southpaw.

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In the second round, Rani began to connect hard with her jabs too, easily moving out of Chaib’s lunging attacks and hitting her flush in the face. The precision and speed from Rani must have been a joy for the Indian women’s boxing coaches Raffaele Bergamasco and Ali Qamar.

Chaib looked rattled but the Algerian wanted to make a match of it. She continued to attack the whole time, and Rani continued evading and countering, landing her favourite left hook multiple times. Rani sailed through 5-0.

“I was connecting very well from the start,” she said. “My left hook and right-left combination was going well and it made me feel good. I was asking the coaches how it was going after the first round and they told me to continue the way I am fighting.”

As a teenager, Rani had started boxing without telling her parents, who did not want her to be in a fighting sport. At that time, her coach in Bhiwani, Sanjay Sheoran, had worked tirelessly to convince her parent to allow her to continue.

“It’s my coach’s birthday and I want to dedicate this win to him,” Rani said.

Bergamasco was satisfied with her performance, but his mind was already on the next challenge. Rani will face China’s Li Qian, the 2016 Rio bronze medallist and 2018 world champion in the quarters. Rani has fought Qian thrice and lost thrice, the last time at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Jordan in March last year.

“Rani was strong today. She was smart and had better control of her bout. We have to make a strategy for the Chinese girl,” said Bergamasco.

It would not be easy but riding on the thrill of making her Olympic debut, Rani is hoping to pull off an upset.