Over the past decade, Mary Kom and Sarita Devi contributed for much of India’s success but Pooja Rani quietly made her mark with four inter...
Over the past decade, Mary Kom and Sarita Devi contributed for much of India’s success but Pooja Rani quietly made her mark with four international medals to her name. Last year, she capped a career-high by clinching gold in the Asian Championships.
The Tokyo Olympics might have been postponed to 2021 but it was Rani who kick-started India’s memorable run in Jordan in the qualifiers, becoming the first among nine boxers to seal their berth for the big-ticket event with a resounding 5-0 win in her 75kg bout against Pornnipa Chutee of Thailand.
It was almost an anti-climax to what was a hard-earned route to Rani’s first Olympic campaign. Three years ago, she feared her career was over while celebrating Diwali with her family. She injured her hand when a firecracker left a deep scar in her stronger hand. Pooja was out of the ring for one year but her woes compounded.
“I was just sparring in 2017. That is all I could do at the time,” Pooja told Scroll.in about her road to recovery.
“I put a lot of force behind a punch and ended up dislocating my shoulder. The doctors, at the time, suggested a surgery but I knew that I might not be able...
