Banking on her fitness and experience, former World Championships silver medallist boxer Sonia Lather is working on a ‘secret plan’ to beat her younger opponents in the country before seeking a berth for the Tokyo Olympics.
Preparing to reach Patiala on Sunday, Sonia — who would be among the first batch of boxers to report for the National camp resumption — was eager to switch to high intensity training.
“I don’t have any passion other than boxing. I worked hard on increasing my strength during the lockdown. I also tried a few things around my movement. I want to improve further under the supervision of the coaches,” Sonia told The Hindu on Saturday.
Acknowledging the stiff competition — especially from World Championships silver medallist Sonia Chahal, World youth champion Sakshi Chaudhary and Asian bronze medallist Manisha Moun — in the 57kg weight class, the 28-year-old said, “I have a secret plan (to tackle my opponents) which I cannot reveal. The kind of load I am taking during my training will help me.”
Sonia, who prepared an exercise tool by putting a bar on two tree trunks in the backyard of her home at Julana in Jind district of Haryana, focused on fitness during the lockdown.
“Fitness has always been my priority. You may ask anyone in the camp about my fitness. I respect time and love discipline. Even in the lockdown I took care of these things.”
Even though she has been in and out of the scheme of things over the years, Sonia, an Arjuna award winner, has never run out of patience.
“If you fight problems, you gather a lot of energy. I believe in participating in events and giving my best. I avoid complaining.
“I am ready for the Olympics challenge,” said Sonia.