Olympics qualified boxer Simranjit Kaur is making the best use of the lockdown by training with her brothers, who are also boxers, and pursuing hobbies like drawing and sewing.
Simranjit is fortunate that her brothers — Kamalpreet Singh and Arshdeep Singh (the current National silver medallist in 81kg) — are also boxers, who spar with her at home in Chakar village of Ludhiana district in Punjab during her daily training.
“Since I don’t stay at home for long periods, I never really had such an opportunity. My brothers’ familiarity with boxing is an advantage. Both of them are helping me with padding,” Simranjit told The Hindu .
The 24-year-old is incorporating the inputs received from National coaches through video conferencing to fine-tune her game.
Simranjit, who won a 64kg World championships bronze in Delhi in 2018, had lost the 60kg trials for 2019 Worlds to the seasoned Sarita Devi. However, she improved her game to beat Sarita in the Olympic qualifier trial and secured a quota place by claiming a silver in the Asia/ Oceania qualifying event in Amman.
“I kept my focus on winning the trial for the Olympic qualifier. I didn’t have to bother much about my new weight as my natural weight stayed around 60kg. I had some solid punches, but I had to make some technical changes.
“I have been in touch with B.I. Fernandez (former India’s foreign coach). Whenever I find time I go to his centre in Mohali. He sends me videos and tells me to try out different techniques,” said the boxer backed by Lakshya Sports.
Potential
According to National coach Mohammed Ali Qamar, Simranjit has immense potential. “She is an attacking boxer who can fluster the best of opponents with her punches. Only, she has to work on some technical and tactical aspects,” said Qamar.
Simranjit, who gave a power-packed performance to claim her maiden National title and bag the Best Boxer award in Haridwar in 2016, is happy to get some attention.
“People in my village knew about me after I got Asian and World championship medals. Following my Olympic qualification, more people recognise me.”
Amid expectations, Simranjit looks forward to the Olympics. “Good that we have one year to prepare. I am focusing on physical fitness. After the lockdown, we will focus on other areas.”
Simranjit keeps herself engaged with some creative work. “Drawing is one of my passions. I learnt it on my own. I had learnt sewing from my mother (Rajpal Kaur) when I was young. Since there is a lot of time in hand, I do some drawing and sewing,” she said.
