CHENNAI: After undergoing a gruelling training session, Parveen Hooda seems to be in good spirits. Two sessions on the day and the boxer is satisfied with the quality of her training. One of the four pugilists from the country to have secured a quota for the Paris Olympics, her objective is crystal clear. And she's taking it one day at a time.
"It's the process that matters. I take it one day at a time. Every day is the Olympics. I don't think too far ahead. Today (Wednesday), I had two sessions and I was looking to give my best. Sometimes I visualise going to the Olympic arena and reaching the podium. But if I overthink, then it could be an issue. That's why my main focus is to improve every day," she tells this daily during an interview.
With just over two months left for the quadrennial event to kick off, this is a critical period for Parveen, who had earned the Olympic quota during the Asian Games in the 57kg weight category.
"It is very strict at the moment. I'm not allowed to go home as well. The coaches have been closely monitoring me, looking at my strengths and weaknesses. I'm mostly working on increasing my strength, because it's hard to make other notable changes in this short period."
This period of Olympic cycle is a new territory for the 23-year-old, who'll be making her Olympic bow in Paris. For instance, it's possible for athletes, especially first-timers, to get carried away and incur injuries. "If we don't warm up properly, then we'll feel extra load during training and there are chances of getting injured. So focussing on strength work helps in that regard. It reduces the chances of having injuries," Parveen, who was recently part of a training programme in Turkey, notes.
However, she has previously demonstrated that she has the mental make-up to handle tough situations.
During the Asiad in Hangzhou, Parveen was not just fighting for herself but was also looking to bring joy to her father, who was bedridden and undergoing cancer treatment then. Moreover, her future with the team was far from certain. The youngster from Rurki village (near Rohtak) in Haryana was yet to secure the No 1 status in the national team, having made a switch in her weight category — 63 to 66kg initially before opting for 57.
"It was tough to reduce weight. When I changed weight, it was the summer season. My father was undergoing treatment then. So I used to get frustrated a lot. There was training overload (to reduce weight) and I couldn't eat properly as well. I used to get irritated a lot," she recalls. Her reactions then are no surprise as it's a feat in itself to cut down weight and it takes real discipline for athletes to maintain the same.
"I didn't even think about eating from outside for three months or so then. I'm fond of sweets and I had completely stayed away from sweets as well."
The fact that she had tasted considerable success — 2022 World Championships bronze in Istanbul and 2022 Asian Championships gold in Amman — in her previous weight category (63 kg) also tells its own story. Despite being forced to change (63kg is not part of the Olympic programme), she persisted. Years of experience has taught her to never give up and that is now part of her DNA.
"I used to lose in close bouts earlier when I was still new. I used to wonder, 'why is this happening to me?". The boxers who would beat me would go on to become world champs. Maybe, it was God's plan. Now, I'm getting to understand things. My hard work is now slowly paying off. This is what I have learnt."
Tall expectations
With three medals in Olympic history so far for Indians, boxing is one sport that is closely followed by many. Parveen, who's part of TOPS and backed by OGQ, is aware of the expectations on her young shoulders. "People do have high expectations. We're also getting good support from every quarter including BFI and SAI. So that is always in the back of my mind."
Visualisation technique has also been a useful tool for her. "The day before the bout, I look at my opponents, study their game and devise a plan and visualise on how I'm going to fight, the tactics that I'm going to adopt. So it feels like I've already done it and it helps during fights."
Modern-day technology has helped the boxers' cause. It's a common thing nowadays for the coaches and the boxers watch, re-watch their fights, their rivals' fights in order to gain the upperhand. "Once or twice a week, we sit with coaches and analyse our positives and negatives. They tell us what to avoid and things that we should focus on. Technology helps a great deal. Even if we haven't met our rivals, we get to learn about them through videos and it helps."
She has adapted to change, she has managed to cope during her father's sickness and now she'll be hoping to break the Olympic barrier and fulfil her dream, a dream that was set in motion in 2012, the year she took up the sport.