Punch out: Gurugram girls bag gold in Sweden

The city’s Mahi Raghav and Musskan Deswal won gold in the 80kg category and the 54kg respectively at the Golden Girl Championship (women’s boxing) in Sweden, which

The city’s Mahi Raghav and Musskan Deswal won gold in the 80kg category and the 54kg respectively at the Golden Girl Championship (women’s boxing) in Sweden, which concluded last Sunday.

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Raghav returned from Sweden on Tuesday and spoke about how disciplined the players from other countries were. “I always wanted to be on the winning side. The competition was tough as all the girls were well prepared for this tournament,” Raghav said. She had recently won a gold medal in the 70kg category at the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati.

In Sweden, there was no competitor for Mahi in the 70kg category, so the organisers asked her if she would compete in the 80kg category, to which she promptly said yes. “The decision was not easy as I knew all the girls would weigh more than I do, but I took up the challenge. The girls in the 80kg category were hitting with a lot of power, but I maintained my calm and focused on the basics of the game,” Raghav said. She won the final against India’s Tanishqa Patil from Maharashtra.

The final bout, between the two counter punchers, was a thriller all the way. Mahi was taller than her counterpart. “She used her left jab to good effect in the opening round, and in the next, she virtually stalked Tanishqa around the ring, pressurising on her and winning the bout,” Bhushan Saini, her coach, said. In the semi-final, she had beaten a Norwegian player.

The 14-year-old studies in Class 10 and attends Shaheed Amar Singh Public School, Bilaspur. Raghav is preparing for her Board exams at the National Boxing Academy in Rohtak. “The academy has provided me teachers who are helping me out. I have to stay at the academy as the national boxing championship is coming up next month,” Raghav said.

Along with Raghav, who stays in Sector 37, Deswal also won a gold medal in the 54kg category, beating her Norwegian opponent. “In Bhondsi, I train at Captain Jagmal Singh Olympic stadium,” Deswal said, adding that she trains for six hours daily and idolises her coach Manoj Sharma who is a national boxer and played for Haryana till 1998.

The Class 12 student said that she is not interested in studies but will take her Board exams and wants to study at Lady Shri Ram College. “I aim to win Olympic gold for India. This win in Sweden is just a small start and I am hopeful that the world will notice my achievement,” the 17-year-old said.

Both players were selected based on a national-level trial, which was organised by the Boxing Federation of India in Rohtak last month. “On January 2, both Mahi and Musskan were selected to be part of the Indian contingent based on their performance in the national camp,” Sharma said.