From Reluctant Boxer to Commonwealth Champion: The Making of Preeti Pawar

Eight years ago, Preeti Pawar wanted to quit.

On Saturday evening in Glasgow, she stood on top of the Commonwealth Games podium with a gold medal around her neck.

Between those two moments lies a story of persuasion, heartbreak, illness, resilience and one very simple promise to herself: Baklava.

That was the first thing she planned to eat after months of surviving a strict weight-cutting diet. The dessert wasn't just a craving. It was a reward. It had been earned.

The 22-year-old from Haryana defeated Canada's Scarlett Delgado by unanimous decision to win the women's 54kg title, giving India its first boxing gold medal of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Yet boxing was never supposed to be her life.

According to her mother, Salin Devi, young Pawar had little interest in stepping inside a ring. It was her uncle, Vinod, a boxing coach and national medallist, who kept nudging her towards the sport. His presence also reassured a family that, like many others at the time, was hesitant about sending a young girl away for competitions.

"There were many difficulties," her mother recalled. "In the beginning, she did not like boxing. It was her uncle who believed she could make a career out of it."

There were moments when Pawar wanted to walk away.

She didn't. Every tournament, every victory and every defeat slowly strengthened her resolve.

Growing up in Bhiwani, India's celebrated "Little Cuba" of boxing, she steadily rose through the ranks. A silver medal at the Khelo India Games. Then gold. An Asian Games bronze in Hangzhou. One milestone after another announced the arrival of a new contender.

Then came Paris. Just weeks before the 2024 Olympics, Pawar was diagnosed with Hepatitis A while training in Germany. She was confined to bed. Her strength disappeared. Training stopped. For an elite athlete preparing for the biggest event of her life, it could not have come at a worse time. Yet she refused to withdraw.

She competed at the Olympics despite barely recovering, before bowing out in the pre-quarterfinals.

For many athletes, that setback might have lingered. For Pawar, it became fuel. Within a year, she returned to win the World Boxing Cup, defeating some of the world's best, including Paris Olympic bronze medallist Huang Hsiao-wen.

The comeback was complete in Glasgow. Perhaps no one understands that journey better than her elder sister, Sonam. Ironically, the elder sibling now calls the younger one her inspiration. "Even though I am older, Preeti motivates me," she said. "When she fell ill before the Olympics, we didn't know what would happen. But she never gave up."

At home, the celebrations are already planned. Her mother has promised to prepare her favourite dishes: churma and kheer. Her sister knows what comes first: Baklava. After months of counting every calorie, Pawar had already decided that once the final ended, she would finally indulge herself.

Inside the ring, however, there was no room for indulgence. Delgado landed the early punches, but Preeti stayed patient, gradually taking control with precise combinations and sharp left hooks. She swept the opening round, forced a standing count in the second and dominated the third to seal a unanimous victory.

When the final bell rang, it wasn't just another gold medal. It was the culmination of an unlikely journey. A girl who never wanted to box, an athlete who fought through illness, a family that never stopped believing, and a champion who finally earned her Baklava.

(With inputs from ANI)