CHENNAI: With her fancy footwork and efficient jabs, Sakshi Chaudhary put up a boxing masterclass at the SEC Hall 5 in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Caitlin Fryers, her opponent on the day, threw the kitchen sink but there was clear daylight between the two. Using her reach advantage, Sakshi landed some telling jabs and counter-punches every time Fryers tried to chase her down. The result was inevitable. Sakshi, who competes in 51kg category, got the votes from all the five judges by the ringside, thereby assuring herself a bronze medal medal at the very least in the ongoing Commonwealth Games.
The value of this medal cannot be understated. It's a mighty relief and joy mixed in equal measure for Sakshi and those who've been instrumental in her career. The 25-year-old is not just living her dream but also her father's — Manoj Kumar. Despite her aptitude for the sport, the gifted pugilist had come unstuck on numerous occasions in the past. It was her father, who introduced her to the sport many moons ago, that continued to put faith in her.
"She has had some ups and downs. To ensure that she continues her journey, we had to motivate her a lot. I had to frequently give her the belief... she had sustained injuries as well, she had a shoulder injury, and she had also had a leg injury. She had two great opportunities (Olympic qualification phase; Tokyo and Paris) in the past and both had slipped away from her. Those setbacks were quite demoralising for her," Manoj, while trying to sum up her career so far, recalled.
During that period of adversity, Manoj never gave up and kept pushing her. "'Whatever work you put in won't go to waste Sakshi. God will give something or the other to those who keep pushing in the work front. You're going to get rewarded, it's a guarantee'. That's what I used to tell her. 'Your day will also come soon, keep going'."
Even as recent as the start of 2026, she was facing uncertainty after a below-par show during the national championships. "She had lost in the semifinals against Poonam Punia, eventual silver medallist, in the quarterfinal stage. But BFI, recognising her undeniable promise, had included her in the national camp."
That continuous push from her family, coaches and federation is now bearing fruit. A rare meeting with star cricketer Virat Kohli whom she considers her idol, a few years ago, had also gone a long way in keeping her focussed. Manoj is quick to remember that timely gesture from Kohli, touted for his mental resilience.
"Earlier it was difficult. Once, Virat Kohli had also sponsored her through the Virat Kohli Foundation (supported her for three years). It had come at a time when she needed it. It was a few years ago. She had met him as well."
In recent years, Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) has also been aiding her, giving her the necessary freedom to purely focus on the craft. All those were signs that things were gradually falling into place for Sakshi. Her current state is a world apart to her humble beginnings. To understand her story, one has to start with her budding years. Without Manoj's dream, all this would have been impossible.
Hailing from Dhanana (Bhiwani district), Manoj, who's into farming, used to travel around 80 kilometres daily to ensure that she received quality training at the famed Bhiwani Boxing Club (BBC). "I have dedicated a lot of time to her. At the start, I had to take her twice a day for training sessions. This is my dream (to see her become boxing champ)," Manoj recalled.
At BBC, renowned coach Jagdish Singh had played a big role in helping her lay the foundation. "She likes to maintain her distance and use her left jab. She did that to perfection," Jagdish, naturally stoked with her day's performance, told The New Indian Express.
After joining the club, she hadn't taken much time to show her promise as she had gone on to become a junior world champ and a two-time youth world champion in quick time before she encountered difficult hurdles at the elite level. Manoj felt those recent setbacks has made her resilient. "The game's ups and downs have made her strong. The setbacks she faced numerous times has made her strong," Manoj said.
The young trainees of BBC were also keenly following Sakshi's ring craft on the day, something that would left a strong impression on them. Jagdish, who still continues to be an important figure in Sakshi's life, is now hopeful that she can go on to capture the gold medal. "Now that she has confirmed a medal, she'll be operating with a free mind. I have a strong belief that she'll bring back gold."
Sakshi's association with the Army in recent years has also been equally crucial. Chhote Lal Yadav, who formerly coached MC Mary Kom, was a delighted man. "There was a lot of pressure. I was feeling a lot of pressure too. She had beaten Nikhat (Zareen) not so long ago, so people had high expectations. She is very hard-working and she had joined ASI when her game was down around 2021-22. But I knew she had the potential," Chhote Lal, who currently trains Sakshi at Army Sports Institute, Pune (ASI), told Ṭhe New Indian Express from Glasgow.