CHENNAI: After years of trials and tribulations, Sakshi Chaudhary is finally showing signs of fulfilling her promise. Despite her talent, she had never quite been able to find a firm ground at the elite level of boxing. After acing junior and youth level, she had mostly been ordinary at the elite level. She would get some odd wins here and there but that would be followed up by some demoralising defeats, stalling her progress in the process.
Ask her to sum up her career so far, and she'll admit it has been 'a roller-coaster ride'. But on Friday, the boxer from Dhanana in Bhiwani district (Haryana) took a sizeable step, securing herself a prized spot in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in the process.
It's a cathartic experience for her and her family (her father is a farmer while her mother is a homemaker), who never stopped believing despite many testing moments over the years. It's also a big shot in the arm for noted coach Jagdish Singh, who has been instrumental in her career.
The 25-year-old, who caused a massive upset by beating Nikhat Zareen on Thursday, got the better of Minakshi Hooda, reigning 48kg world champion, barely 24 hours later to finish as topper (women's 51kg category) in the three-day national trials at NS NIS Patiala. There's a genuine sense of happiness in her voice as she recounted her fights during the trials. "This (trial) was quite challenging. I was part of 54kg and Preeti had already qualified. So 51kg was the only option, it was suitable for me. I knew I would either make a big leap or just miss out. I had nothing to lose," Sakshi told this daily.
Beating two-time World Championships gold medallist Nikhat, who had made 50-52kg category her own over the years, was undoubtedly the high point. The 25-year-old, who's a product of the famed Bhiwani Boxing Club (BBC), said she made her reach advantage count to keep Nikhat at bay and get her hand raised. "My gut feeling was I could beat her. Everyone had the feeling that Nikhat would eventually go on to win the 51kg berth. For a long time she had been dominating and there's this set mindset that she'll continue to do well. She is a really good boxer. She is especially good at close range while my strength is long range. I maintained my distance, using my footwork and my jab and I didn't let her come close to me. I won 4-1 and everyone was quite astounded, like they were 'how did this happen'. Everyone came and congratulated me," the Army boxer said.
Following that massive coup, she was understandably over the moon. The adrenalin rush was running at its peak and she even had a hard time getting proper sleep but she had to remind herself that her task was not over yet. She applied a similar playbook to get the better of Minakshi on Friday. "I had met her in the past during assessment and I had done well then so I had that confidence in me. Moreover, she was coming up from 48kg while I had moved down to 51 so I had a bit of an advantage in terms of reach and strength."
What has transpired over the last few days or so is certainly a big morale-booster for her. Every since her junior days, Sakshi had shown a high aptitude for boxing with notable results at elite competitions — she is a former junior world champ and a two-time youth world champ — but call it luck of the draw or competition, she had not been able to take her chances at the senior level, especially at elite competitions. "I have been up and down. But I never stopped working hard and I always kept my focus. My family — mother, father and brother (also in the Army) — has also been always supportive. Whenever I would be down, they would lift me. I would be demotivated sometimes but they never stopped believing in me," she said.
After capturing a gold medal in the Astana World Cup last year, she had once again hit a roadblock not so long ago. That's when she started working with a sports psychologist and that has helped her express herself inside the ring with more confidence. Visualization, meditation and breathing exercises are now part of Sakshi's schedule. "In January nationals, I lost in the quarterfinals. I was really low after that. As I was reflecting on this, I was thinking 'I work hard, I maintain discipline, why am I unable to perform inside the ring?'. That's when I reached out to OGQ and they introduced me to Priyavrinda ma'am, a sports psychologist. I have had good sessions with her and I still work with her. I have been able to perform with plenty of positivity and give my 100 per cent since then."
Sakshi had been forced to fight at 51kg after Preeti Pawar had cemented her No 1 status at 54kg, a category where Sakshi used to ply her trade, by capturing a gold medal during the Asian Championships but now that has proven to be a blessing in disguise. Sakshi felt she can evolve to become a stronger force in the newly-adopted 51kg. "I feel I can do even better in the 51kg category. In 54 kg what would happen is many 60kg boxers would cut weight and drop down to compete. So some of those boxers would have height and reach advantage. Now at 51kg, I think I'll get those benefits. I'll have a reach and power advantage."
With new-found pep in her step, Sakshi now aims to replicate this performance during the CWG and Asiad. In the long run, she hopes to medal at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Team: Women: Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg, only CWG) , Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Parveen Hooda (65kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (70kg, Only CWG), Lovlina Borghain (75kg). Men: Jadumani Singh (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Aditya Pratap Singh (65kg, only CWG), Sumit Kundu (70kg), Ankush (80kg), Kapil Pokhariya (90kg), Narender Berwal (+90kg).