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Sakshi Choudhary’s Glasgow CWG boxing gold speaks to her dedication and daredevilry
The 25-year-old boxer from Bhiwani had beaten high-quality boxers like Minakshi Hooda and Nikhat Zareen in the national trials to qualify for CWG 2026.
Sakshi Choudhary was among five female Indian boxers who picked up a gold at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games on Saturday. In all, India picked up a record 10 boxing medals across men’s and women’s, and seven of them were gold. And thanks largely to those medals, they jumped to 4th from 10th in the medal tally in a matter of hours.
"I am feeling very proud after winning the gold medal... My target was to win the gold medal for the nation... I thank all the people of my village who supported me throughout the journey," Sakshi, who outclassed England's Ruby White by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the women's 51kg category, told ANI after her triumph.
25-year-old Sakshi’s gold has come after a lot of hard work. In the national trials, after dropping down a weight category as her preferred category quota was already secured, she beat two world-class boxers, Minakshi Hooda and Nikhat Zareen, a double world champion, and the defending CWG champion. She dispatched Minakshi in the semis and Zareen in the trials final, which brought her qualification for CWG 2026. That speaks to how determined she is, how big a daredevil she is. Losing 3kg or more is no ordinary task. As it is, boxers are quite lean and have nothing much on them to lose, so it requires extraordinary efforts. She has done it and now she reaping the rewards!
Prior to Saturday’s gold, among her notable achievements, Sakshi had won the 2015 junior World Championship in Taipei. Sakshi is also a two-time youth World Championship gold medallist. She won gold in the women’s 54kg category at the World Boxing Cup in Astana, Uzbekistan last year. However, with the CWG triumph, she has now well and truly hit the big time, make no mistake.
Manoj Kumar, father of Sakshi, said her daughter has made the entire nation proud through her hard work and dedication. Expressing confidence in her abilities, he said he believes she will continue her success by winning gold medals at the Asian Games and the Olympics.
"Sakshi has made the entire nation proud... Sakshi worked very hard... I am confident that she will win the gold medal in the Asian Games and Olympics," Manoj Kumar said.
Sheela, mother of Sakshi, said the family is overjoyed by her daughter's achievement and expressed gratitude to her coaches for their constant support and guidance throughout her journey. "We are all very happy... Her coaches supported her throughout the journey," she said.
Sakshi remained in control throughout the contest, effectively blocking her opponent's attacks while landing sharp counter-punches, particularly with her right hand. White attempted to force her way back into the bout in the closing stages but Sakshi remained unfazed before sealing victory with a unanimous verdict.
(With inputs from ANI)
