CHENNAI: Not so long ago, youth boxer Poonam Poonia was caught between the devil and the deep
sea. For someone who's just 18, she had to make one of the toughest choices in her life. Take a crack at a job opening or take a big gamble and go for Youth World Championships glory.
Coming from a humble background (her father is a farmer in a nondescript village in Haryana and her mother is a homemaker), a temptation to have a go at the job can't be discounted. However, she as the boxing world now knows, opted for the latter.
And she's gone on to etch her name in the history books, becoming one of seven women boxers to become a youth world champion in Kielce, Poland. "I couldn't go to Montenegro and I was really downcast. After getting to know that trials are being held for the World Championships, I focussed on that and was determined to make the cut," Poonam, who outwitted Sthelyne Grosy of France in the 57-kg category final, recalled.
Poonam had missed the bus for Montenegro after losing in trials. Preeti had earned a spot instead, going on to fetch a bronze medal at the International Tournament Adriatic Pearl (February 16-22) in Budva. That setback had spurred her to fight back. But, that's when another opportunity arose.
"However, the World Championships trials clashed with Railways trials. I had to go to Bilaspur for that. But I had to chose one. It was a tough call, but in the end, I opted for the World Championships trials. After making the cut during the trials, I have managed to win a gold medal. I'm a world champion," Poonam, who's supported by Olympic Gold Quest, said.
What's more impressive is that Poonam, who won a total of five bouts in Kielce, has never lost a fight at the international level. Bhaskar Bhatt, India women's youth coach, feels her dedication towards the sport is behind her incredible record. "She is focussed all the time. She does not think about anything else apart from the game," he noted.
In times of gloom and doom amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Poonam and seven others winning gold is a balm for many in the country. Training has been stop-gap for many top athletes, exposure tours and tournaments have been postponed or cancelled.
But these girls had been solely focussed on Worlds for the last six months or so. Starting with Zoom interactions, training at home and then camping at National Centre of Excellence, they had been building up to this occasion.
They got all the backing from officials from SAI, BFI and NCOE, Rohtak. Hopes were high, but even then this performance has pleasantly surprised Bhatt. "We've had all the facilities. Our support staff have also sacrificed a lot. Like the boxers, they also haven't taken leave for six months. So credit goes to
everyone and the girls have also exceeded my expectations. They have shown so much passion and hunger, giving more than 100 per cent," he said.
The significance and sacrifices behind this result was not lost out on Alfiya Pathan (+81 kg) too, one of the gold medallists. "I'm delighted. There were concerns, especially in my state, but we stayed focussed. We're reaping the rewards of the sacrifices everyone including the coaches made during these difficult times," Alfiya, from Nagpur, said.
So what next? For most of the boxers, Olympics is their ultimate aim. "I was inspired to take up boxing after MC Mary Kom's historic medal at the London Olympics. I wish to emulate her some day," N Babyrojisana Chanu, gold-medallist in the 51-kg category, said.
Bhatt felt those dreams are not farfetched if they can maintain their focus. "They are highly sincere and if they can stay focussed, they can definitely go on to win medals at Olympics. They're on the right track, they have that hunger," he said.
Sachin (56 kg), the lone Indian male boxer to enter final, also bagged a gold medal on Friday, taking India's yellow metal count to eight. Sachin beat Sabyr Yerbolat of Kazakhstan 4-1. Indian boxers also bagged three bronze medals in the meet.