NAGPUR: Akola's Sakshi Gaidhani was among the top-8 boxers in last year's senior nationals. Sakshi was among the top contenders to finish on the podium. However, the Maharashtra boxer's dreams were shattered when she met the toughest opponent in the 81kg category — Pooja Rani, the 7-time national champion and 2-time Asian champion — in the quarterfinals.
Though it was a tough loss to digest, Sakshi gained valuable experience which is driving her with better preparedness to once again eye the top-3 finish in the forthcoming senior nationals and Mini Olympics.
In the lead up to the senior nationals, the youth international boxer is in the city for the state championship where she has entered the finals in the 75-81kg class on expected lines. Along with her, Alfiya Khan Pathan and Mitika Gunele, the other international boxers, have booked their respective spots in the finals. All of them recorded wins with the referee stopping the contest (RSC) in the first round itself.
"The Pooja Rani bout made me realize which areas I have to work on in order to face challenges from seasoned boxers. In the last few months, I trained accordingly," said Sakshi, who won bronze medals in the 2018 Youth World Championship and silver in the Asian Championship.
Sakshi has been among the national probables from the last three years. "I was in the National Boxing Academy with the India probables from 2018 to 2021. Now, I am training under Satish Chandra Bhatt at the Akola Krida Prabodhini. The primary aim this year is to win gold in the Mini Olympics and in senior nationals. My ultimate goal is to compete in the World Championship to be hosted by India," she concluded.
KEY RESULTS:
66-70kg: Mitika Gunele bt Mahadevi Kabadage, Rutuja Kale bt Pranjal Kadbhane; 75-81kg: Sakshi Gaidhani bt Gayatri Jalela; Vedantika Potekar bt Pradhnya Gaikwad; 81+kg: Priyanka Khandare bt Tejashree Kale, Alfiya Pathan bt Ishika Warwade (All these results were RSC)
