CHENNAI : S Anishbowthiya Begam and J Nathiya, two 16-year-olds were among the few girls who took part in the recently concluded district-level boxing championship by the Soldiers Boxing Academy. After emerging as joint winners in the U-18 category, the Madurai natives talk about their passion for boxing, their inspiration and how they plan to become successful sportspersons.
In the last two years, Anishbowthiya has become a name to reckon with in the women’s boxing circle of Madurai. “A few years back, my mother, who is a school teacher, got transferred to Peraiyur from Chennai. Along with her, I joined the Peraiyur Government School as a student. Since I was always interested in sports and related activities, I kept playing even after coming here,” she says. The PT master of the school, Pandiyan, motivated her to take up some sport seriously and focus on it.
“As my hand and muscle power was good, he suggested I try boxing. I began learning the basics of boxing from him and absolutely enjoyed practising it daily. I took part in the annual divisional-level boxing event and won first place in November 2017. After this, the people around me believed that my talent was special and asked me to participate in more tournaments,” she adds.
In a few months, she also bagged the third place in the state-level meet held in Nagapattinam in the 71-75 kg category. In December 2018, she won second place in the same tournament that was conducted in Tiruppur. Currently training for this year’s tournament with the determination to win the first place and make it to the national team, she says, “Initially, my parents didn’t want me to pursue boxing. After seeing my performances in the ring, they are supportive now.”
To facilitate her coaching at the academy here, her parents allowed Anishbowthiya to shift from Peraiyur to Madurai, this year. “I am staying with my grandparents now and attending practice sessions every day. The training sessions are for about 90 minutes,” she shares.Nathiya, a class 11 student from Alanganallur Government Higher Secondary School says, “I was a throwball player in my school. I was introduced to boxing in 2017. Though I attended divisional-level meets, I didn’t win accolades in boxing. So, my parents asked me to stop playing the sport and concentrate on studies.”
She took a break, but kept practising whenever she found the time. She used to come down for a few sessions at the academy here. “In 2018, I won second place at a district-level tournament. This is my second major win. Though my size and height are not an advantage, I believe I have the potential to win medals in boxing, with my strength.”The young boxers look up to Mary Kom. They say, “Mary Kom is a huge inspiration to all women in the country. Like her, we wish to represent our nation in boxing. Winning an Olympic medal is the ultimate dream.”