A calculated risk to drop from 54kg to 51kg paid off for newly-crowned Commonwealth Games champion boxer Sakshi Chaudhary, as she finally made an impact at a multi-sport event.

A former World junior champion, two-time World youth champion, Asian championships bronze medallist and World Boxing Cup gold medallist, Sakshi secured most of her international medals in 54kg.

Hungry for success at a multi-sport event, the gutsy Sakshi sought the advice of her coach Chhote Lal Yadav at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, and decided to switch to 51kg after the National championships in January, when boxers were allowed to change weight categories.

For Sakshi, it was a risky decision as the lower weight class had several accomplished boxers, including double World champion Nikhat Zareen and reigning world champion Meenakshi Hooda.

“Since (another Army boxer) Preeti (Pawar) was doing well in 54kg, it made sense for Sakshi to come down to 51kg. She was capable of beating everyone. Once we made the make-or-break decision, I asked her to keep quiet as it could have backfired,” Chhote Lal told The Hindu, as his ward stayed busy attending felicitation functions.

“Only a few boxers have qualities like Sakshi. She is aggressive, has good endurance and has a superb left jab, which she used effectively in Glasgow. Even during her training at the ASI, she used to beat male boxers because of the jab. I am sure she will medal at the Asian Games as well.”

Former Indian women’s team head coach Bhaskar Bhatt, under whom Sakshi claimed her maiden World youth gold in Guwahati in 2017, appreciated her performance. “Sakshi didn’t stop for a moment during her bouts at the Commonwealth Games and didn’t give her opponents any chance. It shows how much work she has put in to increase her endurance and strengthen her legs.

“She should work on two areas to become even more effective. She needs to connect her punches with the full knuckle to unleash maximum power and stop using her elbow to stay away from trouble,” said Bhatt.

--EOM--