Packing a punch
INDIAN women’s boxing has for long been synonymous with MC Mary Kom, who won eight World Championship medals (including six gold) and a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. Her stellar performances have been inspiring other female pugilists to battle all odds. The just-concluded World Championship in New Delhi saw four Indian boxers grabbing the yellow metal — Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, Nitu Ghanghas and Saweety Boora. Nikhat defeated Vietnam’s two-time Asian champion Nguyen Thi Tam to emulate Mary Kom’s feat of winning the world title twice. Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina defeated Australia’s Caitlin Parker to clinch her maiden world title. India’s female boxers equalled their best-ever show in terms of gold medals; they had also won four in the 2006 edition of the World Championship.
Nikhat and Lovlina will be the favourites in the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou (China) in September-October this year, while Nitu and Saweety need to change their respective weight categories so as to enter the fray. The Asian event will double as a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The dominance of these boxers has raised hopes that India will finally win an Olympic gold in this sport next year.
It’s heartening that boxing and wrestling have become sought-after sports among girls in India. Cricket, however, continues to rule the roost, with the inaugural Women’s Premier League proving to be a resounding success. India’s womanpower came to the fore here too as Harmanpreet Kaur led Mumbai Indians to the title triumph. Harmanpreet, also the Team India skipper, played a useful knock in the final against Delhi Capitals, even as her overseas teammates Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews were the star performers throughout the tournament. Clearly, there is no dearth of sporting opportunities for the country’s daughters, with the likes of Mary Kom and Sania Mirza being enduring role models. The unstinting support of parents and coaches, along with the backing of Central and state governments, is making a huge difference. This augurs well for Indian sports as well as for gender equality.
