Days after dropping father, Asian champ boxer Pooja Rani set for Strandja Memorial

From the revelry of her brother’s marriage ceremony to the utter despair of dropping her father, life modified in a matter of 5 days for two-time Asian champion and Tokyo Olympian boxer Pooja Rani.
But the nationwide champion is again in coaching right here and is all set for her first aggressive outing of the season as effectively, the celebrated Strandja Memorial Tournament which begins February 18 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
“I got back to the national camp just yesterday,” the 81kg class boxer instructed PTI, her tender voice reflecting the ache and helplessness of being dealt one other blow simply when issues had been seemingly going effectively for her after ending a quarterfinalist in Tokyo Olympics.
She is kind of used to life going awry on the most inopportune time.
A career-threatening shoulder harm some years again and burnt palms simply earlier than a serious event bear testimony to Pooja’s struggles.
But this hurts greater than something she has endured to this point. The dying of her father Rajbir Singh, a retired inspector in Haryana Police, is a crushing blow as he was her greatest motivator regardless of being against her profession as a boxer when she began.
“He was my biggest inspiration. I was very close to him. It happened five days after my brother’s wedding last month, I had come back to the camp and suddenly around 3 in the morning (on February 1), I was told he died of a heart failure, I rushed home,” she recalled earlier than going quiet, unable to revisit the trauma past this.
“When I was coming back to the camp after my brother’s wedding, he made a victory sign to see me off, I can’t get that out of my mind. I keep thinking of about it. It’s like I am stuck in that moment,” she stated.
But life goes on and the Bhiwani-boxer, who additionally has to her credit score a bronze within the 2014 Asian Games, is hoping to make her father proud on the Strandja Memorial.
“Whether I gained or misplaced, all he tried to do was to make me pleased. He opposed my love for boxing after I began however as soon as he bought round, he was like a pillar, with me by means of each triumph and each disappointment. I hope I could make him proud.
“I have had very little time to train amid all that has happened but I am hopeful of doing well in Strandja,” she stated.
The event, which is the European season-opener, will function each female and male boxers. The Indian girls’s crew might be made solely of the reigning nationwide champions.

Male Tokyo Olympians to skip Strandja Memorial
The males’s crew can be going to be primarily represented by nationwide champions which implies that the 5, who competed in Tokyo Olympics, could be ready for some extra time earlier than getting again in motion.Amit Panghal (51kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Manish Kaushik (63.5kg), Ashish Chaudhary (75kg), and Satish Kumar (+91kg) have been coaching on the nationwide camp in Patiala for the previous three weeks however are but to be competitors prepared when it comes to health.
“They will have to skip this one. The fitness levels are not yet what they should be given that they did not compete after Tokyo and resumed training less than a month back,” a Boxing Federation of India supply instructed PTI.
Among the nationwide champions who would miss the occasion are Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), who twisted his ankle some weeks again, Sanjeet (91kg), nursing a shoulder harm, and world championship bronze-winner Akash (54kg).
The two groups are because of depart on February 17 after present process pre-departure COVID-19 checks.

Squads
Men: Govind (48kg), Ankit (51kg), Rajpinder Singh (54kg), Rohit Mor (57kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Dalvir Singh (63.5kg), Akash (67kg), Rohit Tokas (71kg), Sumit (75kg), Sachin Kumar (81kg), Lakshya Chahar (86kg), Gaurav Chauhan (91kg), Narender (+91kg)
Women: Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Nikhat Zareen (52kg), Shiksha (54kg). Sonia Lather (57kg), Meena Rani (60kg), parveen (63kg), Anjali Tushir (66kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (71kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (81kg), Nandini (+81kg).