Got a lot of encouragement for future: Boxer Preeti Pawar finds a silver lining in maiden World Championships outing

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) While applauding the victories of Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, Neetu Ghangas and Saweety Boora in the Boxing World Championships, it's important to acknowledge that Preeti Sai Pawar also exhibited impressive performance in the same competition. She may not have won a medal but demonstrated flashes of excellence in the tournament.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, the 19-year-old young pugilist shared her learnings from her debut World Championships outing, saying that she didn't give up after losing in the 54kg pre-quarterfinals and started sparring with boxers from different countries in the stadium to learn more from them.

"I was well prepared. The training was also very good. There was confidence as our country was hosting the mega event. There was some pressure as well, but I got a lot of encouragement for the future from this competition," Preeti said about her debut at the World Championship.

Competing in her maiden world championships, her first world-level outing, Preeti had a stunning start to her campaign as showcased her technical superiority to emerge victorious via RSC (Referee Stops Contest) against Hanna Lakotar of Hungary in the 54 kg category opening round.

She then displayed a superb combination of skills and maturity to outshine last edition's silver medallist and World No. 2 Romanian boxer Perijoc Lacramioara in the second round following a 'bout review'.

Speaking about her memorable second-round bout, the youngster said: "I have followed her bouts from the previous world championships, so I planned my strategy accordingly. So, as soon as the bout started, I put in my full effort.

"In the first round, I was attacking as well as defensive and it came in my favour. Then the coaches told me to keep her in the long-range, don't go close to her, and I followed that advice. I started with a bit of long-range but the second round went in my opponent's favour by 3-2. In the third, the coach told me that I have to step back a little and then counter her. Basically, to miss her punches and counter on her. So that's what I applied for and I won the bout. It felt great that I had beaten the world silver medallist and top-seed boxer."

However, Preeti's impressive run in the tournament came to an end in the Round-of-16 where she suffered a close 4-3 loss after fighting tooth and nail against experienced Thai boxer Jutamas Jitpong, the same pugilist Nikhat had defeated in the 52kg final last year's edition in Istanbul.

"I learned a lot from that bout. I was in the lead at the start, but then she took the lead in the second. There was a bit of pressure as she bounces back in the third round. It was almost close to a large extent. Although I had a feeling that the round would be in my favour. Unfortunately, it went in favour of the Thai boxer, but even after that, I didn't give up right there. I started sparring daily in the stadium with boxers from other countries so that I get to learn something more from this competition," the 19-year-old said about her pre-quarterfinal bout.

The Haryana-based pugilist has two medals in Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati (2022) and Panchkula (2021) respectively. She also shared how the Khelo India experience has aided her in preparation for her international bouts.

"Khelo India is very beneficial for the youth as we get a world-level platform. The best athletes from across the nation compete, and the atmosphere is the same as when we compete at the world level. There is another programme under the Khelo India scheme where we can go to national centres and we get to learn a lot by sparring with different boxers," said Preeti, who won gold in the 2021 Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula.

The 19-year-old, who is currently training at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), said that IIS supported her a lot in the last two years, offering the best quality equipment and a suitable environment for training. She got to go to training camps in other countries and learned to improve her skills by observing their strategies.

Besides her boxing career, the 19-year-old is pursuing a BSc in Health and Physical Education from Lovely Professional University. Speaking about how she balances her sport with other aspects of her life, she said:

"Till 12th standard, it was a bit difficult to manage as along with sports there was complete focus on studies as well. Now things are sorted in graduation. University supports us fully so that we can focus more on our game. If we can't go for exams, they conduct online exams for us. Things have become easier than before and we can focus more on our boxing."

Preeti, who started boxing at the age of 14, won the bronze in the 2022 Asian boxing Championship. She also won a silver in the Asian Youth Boxing Championships in 2021, competing in the 57kg weight category.