India's historic Glasgow boxing run, Bhiwani boxing scene, baklava self-treat: CWG gold medalist Preeti speaks after medal win

The 2022 Asian Games bronze medalist Preeti secured the women's 54kg gold medal at the CWG 2026 after defeating Canada's Scarlett Delgado by unanimous decision in the final on Saturday. This was her CWG debut after she secured a bronze medal in the Asian Games three years back, and in the context of her life and career, perhaps her biggest medal so far.

By Sahil Kohli Following her Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medal win, Indian boxer Preeti Pawar reflected on the learning experience that the event gave her ahead of the Asian Games this year and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the boxing culture in her hometown Bhiwani, known as 'Mini Cuba' for producing world-class talent and the fulfillment of her baklava promise after her medal win in Glasgow.

The 2022 Asian Games bronze medalist Preeti secured the women's 54kg gold medal at the CWG 2026 after defeating Canada's Scarlett Delgado by unanimous decision in the final on Saturday. This was her CWG debut after she secured a bronze medal in the Asian Games three years back, and in the context of her life and career, perhaps her biggest medal so far. Speaking to ANI after the medal win, Preeti, a JSW signed athlete, expressed that she will take the learnings from it to the Asian Games, which start from September 19 onwards in Japan this year.

"I am feeling very good. I was very excited for the games, and my main thought was that I had to give my best and make India proud as much as I could. It went well, it was a great experience in the games, and I learned a lot. I know none of my bouts were extremely tough, but still, this was a learning experience for me, and it will help me a lot in my preparations for the upcoming Asian Games. It was a very good experience," she said. Preeti hails from Bhiwani, one of the strongest points of the Indian boxing ecosystem, which has given the country stars like Vijender Singh, Jitender Kumar and Akhil Kumar and from this 'Mini Cuba', she is one of the current brightest young boxing stars for India. Boxing is in this region's lifestyle, as parents accompany their children to the coaching centres and are actively involved in taking care of their children's diet and overall career. The sheer number of boxing clubs and the competition to break into them and come out of them as stars has contributed to India's rich boxing heritage.

"This is the environment in Haryana. I think even the parents have this mentality to support their children even more. You will see they stay with them during training, bringing them to practice, and then taking care of their diet and proper nutrition afterward. I think parents are very involved in sports, which matters a lot for an athlete--how they recover after training and get proper nutrition. And Bhiwani is also called "Mini Cuba." So many great boxers have come from here, like Vijender Singh sir. So, a culture of boxing has developed here. There are so many boxing clubs here and many children who practice boxing. So, there is a lot of competition there, and when you get more competition among yourselves, a good athlete is prepared," she said. Perhaps this investment of families in their children's boxing future has paid off, as India has produced its richest boxing medal haul in CWG history, with an unprecedented 10 medals, including a just as unprecedented seven gold medals. Preeti pointed to the fire boxers had every time they stepped into the ring and hopes that the contingent breaks its own record during the 2030 CWG, which will take place on home soil in Ahmedabad. Most of the boxers from the medal-winning squad came from Haryana, some from Bhiwani like her, Sachin Siwach, Jaismine Lamboria and Sakshi Choudhary.

"We have created history this time. Until now, no country has won seven gold medals in boxing at the Commonwealth Games. We have set a record now. Our hope will be that in the next Commonwealth Games, we are the ones to break it. Our whole team had this mindset that we have to give our best in the ring. There was a fire in everyone to go into the ring, give 100 per cent, and come back only after winning. So, everyone's mindset was very strong there. As a team, our bonding was very strong," she said. Reflecting on her own medal win, Preeti said that she was in an attacking mode and had her plans in place during the first two rounds and just when the gold seemed in sight during the final round, the focus shifted from attack to complete enjoyment.

"Before the final, it was in my mind that I wanted to give India a good start in the finals because mine was the first bout in the finals. My mindset was focused on executing the plan I had made with my coaches--how I needed to play. In the first round, I was a bit aggressive, and I think I won the first round unanimously. In the second round, I stuck to the same game plan and that went well too. Then, in the last round, since I had already won two rounds unanimously, I just thought, "Let us just enjoy the moment." So, I played the last round with full enjoyment, and it was a good bout," she said. Preeti's boxing journey has involved a lot of ups and downs, right from battling society, a bout of hepatitis ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024 and most importantly her own mind, which was not as invested in the sport early on due to the immense bodily pain she faced, and it was only the guidance of her uncle Vinod, a coach and a former, which pushed her into the sport. Looking back at her journey, the 22-year-old cannot help but feel emotional and is grateful for the support shown by everyone in her journey.

"When I think about it now, when I started boxing, I used to think, "No, I do not want to do this," because there used to be so much body pain during training. I even used to say no to my father and my coach, that I did not want to box. But they constantly supported and motivated me, and that is why I am here today. It feels quite emotional when I think about it. At that time, I never thought I would come this far, represent India in the Commonwealth Games, and win a gold medal. So, I feel very happy and proud that the people who brought me here are now feeling proud of me," she said. Preeti rise in the national circuit was rapid, with a silver at the Khelo India Games in 2020 in Guwahati, followed by a gold at Panchkula in the 2021 edition. At the 2023 New Delhi World Championships (a pre-quarterfinal finish), she made a promising world meet debut and a bronze in 54 kg at the Asian Games in Hangzhou (2023) solidified her as a talent to watch out for, confirming the medal by beating Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan, a multiple-time World Championships medallist, in the quarter-finals before crashing out to China's 2024 Olympic champion Chang Yuan in the semis.

But her career came crashing down when she was left bedridden by a bout of hepatitis a month before the Paris Olympics, leaving her completely devoid of energy to train. Nevertheless, she put the gloves and headgear on, taking the Indian tricolour forward with all her might before Colombia's Yeni Arias defeated her 2-3 in the pre-quarterfinals. A gold medal in the World Boxing Cup in the national capital in November last year, which included a win over Paris Olympics bronze medalist and then-world number one Huang Hsiao-wen, showed the world her never-say-die attitude, perseverance and a story of comeback despite all odds. While Preeti suffered during her bad days, she took them in a positive stride as a part of life. She admitted that the 2025 World Boxing Cup gold encouraged her even futher and she later on won an Asian Championships gold before CWG glory. As she said, it is not the setbacks, but how one bounces back from them that defines someone.

"Setbacks are a part of an athlete's life. During the Olympics, I had some illness, due to which I couldn't perform my best. Even after that, it took me a long time to recover. But I think the 2025 season was a bit better for me; I made a comeback and then won a gold medal in the World Cup Finals. Winning gold in the World Cup Finals was very motivating and encouraging for me because I participated in an international competition after a long time and won gold. From there, my confidence built up a bit, then I won gold in the Asian Championships in 2026, and now in the Commonwealth Games. So, I think setbacks are part of every athlete's life, but how we overcome them and how we make a comeback is more important," she said. After her CWG gold medal win, the boxer's elder sister had told ANI that Preeti had planned for herself a baklava treat after the final, after spending plenty of time managing her weight carefully and keeping all culinary temptations aside. The baklava promise is well and truly complete, and it was followed by some desi, home-made choorma prepared by her mother.

"I was talking to her (her elder sister) on the evening before the final. At that time, I was cutting weight and had not eaten anything, had not even drunk water. At that time, it is always in your mind that "tomorrow after the bout and after giving weight, I will eat this, I want to drink this, I want to eat that." So, we were just talking, and I said, "Tomorrow after the bout, I will definitely eat baklava." So yes, I went and had baklava. And now when I came home, I got a very good welcome, and Mom also made very good food for me; she made churma. So now I am enjoying a lot of things," she said. On her road to the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, the immediate focus is recovery and then a training camp at Patiala for the Asian Games. The learning experience of both CWG and Asian Games 2026, she feels, would be important for her, and the long-term focus leading up to the Olympics is: day-by-day improvement.

"Right now, there is some time for recovery, after which I will be back to training. Now we will have our camp in Patiala for the Asian Games, so I have to prepare for that. And for LA 2028, both these games--Commonwealth and Asian Games--will be very important because both are at a very high level. In the Asian Games, many good countries will participate, providing me with great competition, and there will be a lot of learning and experience. For LA, my goal is to perform well in my upcoming competitions and focus more on my strengths as well as my weaknesses--where I need to improve and what things are good that I need to make even better. My target is to improve myself day by day," she signed off. (ANI)