Danuska Da Gama
Panaji
On Saturday, March 25, Nitu Ghanghas from Haryana won her final bout at the recently concluded IBA Elite Women’s World Boxing Championship. Twenty-two-year-old Nitu, a Commonwealth Games and two-time Youth World champion, has achieved a great deal in the sport.
However, the path ahead presents many more milestones for her to reach, requiring patience, perseverance, and an even more competitive edge. Nitu’s weight is not included in the upcoming Asian Games or next year’s Paris Olympics, which means that she must wait longer. Moving up to 50 kgs will not be helpful either since the defending champion Nikhat Zareen and Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain are India’s top contenders after Mary Kom.
Nitu was light on her feet, and like her previous bouts, her game was all about quick footwork, side-stepping, and throwing a combination of speed punches. She was more cautious in the finals against her opponent, Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg, but was still a clear winner.
The Navhind Times exclusively spoke to the boxer along the sidelines of the championship.
“When I qualified for the finals, my only goal was to win the gold for my country and be on the first position on the podium to see our national flag at the top. It was a wonderful feeling being declared the winner,” Nitu said, although she admitted that there is always some tension before every bout, which is unavoidable.
Throughout her stint at the IBA Elite Women’s World Boxing Championship, the home support was there, but her father in the crowd drew attention. Each time he felt Nitu scored, he would jump and scream, but Nitu cut off all that was happening to focus on the target of her opponents. “Home support mattered a lot this time. I felt good, but my opponent was under a lot of pressure,” she quipped.
She was thrilled that Olympic bronze medalist and Indian boxing star Vijender Singh was present for her bout. “Coming from Bhiwani, what else could I ask for? My idol was there to cheer me on, along with the rest of India, and it was good to have a chat with him after my bout,” she mentioned.
“Maintaining my weight is not a problem as such. But, I didn’t want my fitness levels to get affected, so I maintained a strict diet. But now, I have been eating desi food, milk laden with cream, sweets, and everything I have missed out on,” she informed.
Nitu added that it was not just her, but her family who sacrifices a lot for her to continue in this sport. “It is not easy to be a boxer, bahut kuch lagta hai. There are many things to consider, such as diet, travel costs, personal equipment, and other expenses.”
During her journey to win this world championship, she and her family made many sacrifices and always supported her. “My father Jai Bhagwan took an unpaid leave of three years to take care of my sporting requirements besides training and diet. He took a loan of six lakh rupees and went back to farming.”
“If it is not the shoulder, it is the wrist, and probably why I like to end my game with an RSC to keep injuries away, as most of the time, the opponent knows the weaknesses of the other boxer too,” she tell us. “But being a southpaw and left handed means the opponent has a tough time, throwing punches on target and missing my punches.”
Nitu who began boxing at 22, believes that the 10 years in the sport have not been easy. “Managing college, travelling by bus 40 kms to and fro for practice, living among people who still despise girls from playing sport,” she has face it all.
“When you become a star, everyone comes to wish you and then praise you , and find some link to be related or known to me, but initially only my family was there for me, and sir Jagdish who is a guru and a God to boxers who’ve learnt under him and have followed his directions well,” Nitu
voices.
And assistant manager with Reserve Bank of India, Nitu informs that with this gold medal, she is due for a promotion and despite winning cash awards now, it’s time for her to repay loans and give back to the family.
“I’ve spent time reading books and assisting my mother in housework which is what I do during the break from camp,” she says.
The older sister, she hopes to fulfill dreams of her younger sister who is currently studying MBBS in Shimla and her younger brother who has taken up to shooting . “I don’t want them to struggle; now it’s time for me to help my parents support the family.”