In their mid-30s, most boxers think of hanging up their gloves. But 34-year-old Tokyo Olympian Pooja Rani not only chased her dream but also achieved it by landing her maiden World championship medal, a bronze in 80kg, in Liverpool and helped India finish with a creditable tally of four medals. The dashing pugilist from Bhiwani doesn’t mind working harder than ever in order to get what seemed to her as an unfulfilled mission.
Now, she accepts that she is at the fag end of her more than a decade-long career and sounds realistic about her future in the ring. Pooja spoke to The Hindu about her courageous journey. Excerpts:
Tell us about your time after you competed in the Tokyo Olympics and the World championships in 2022.
After that I took a break. I got married in February 2023. I didn’t compete in any tournament in the whole of 2023. Then in 2024, I participated only in the National championships.
How difficult was your comeback?
If you take a break, then you have to start from zero. We have to play in district-level events, then we have to play in state championships as well. Because your place is gone all of a sudden.
You have to make a new start again. So, I competed in the state championships and went on to become the National champion this year.
The year 2025 was very good for me. I participated in the World Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan. I gave a good performance there and bagged a silver medal.
As soon as we came back from the World Cup, our preparations for the World championships started. The World championships also went off well.
Why did you think of making a comeback again? How much more training did you have to do?
I was doing training earlier. I trained in 2024, but I was not doing it so seriously. Because I knew that there was no major competition that year. The only major event was the Olympics (and only qualified athletes could go there and compete). I knew that in 2025 the World championships or the World Cups will be there. I started training well because there was no point in taking it easy. I will get good results only if I perform well.
But in the mid-30s, a lot of boxers, both male and female, retire. Why did you think of coming back again?
My husband played the main role in this. He saw that I left the sport at a time (when I could have carried on). He is not an athlete, but understands me well. After all, we have been together for the past six years. He motivated me that I should do it. He thought that I would be happy only if I competed in another event or won another medal.
I also felt that since I had been boxing for so many years, there should be some achievement that I should feel good about.
After your father’s death, does your mother support you?
My mother always cared for me. I work as an Income Tax inspector. She was keen for my success as she knew if I got a medal in the World championships, then I would get a promotion. She would be awake till late in the night to watch my bout.
But after 30 years, you have to do more fitness. So, how much did you pay attention to that?
After that age you have to pay more attention to your strength as the strength starts to decrease. I paid full attention to building my strength.
Whether I did (boxing) training or not, I did strength training. Talking about performance, if we keep working hard, then we will definitely get good results.
Do you want to stick to 80kg or drop down to 75kg in the future?
See, now the World Cup final is going to be held in India. For that, I will compete in 80kg. Next year, I will try 70kg or 75kg because the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are coming up. I will definitely try to do well in those events.
You fought very well in the World championships. What does this medal mean to you?
I have competed in four World championships so far. In 2012 and 2016, it was the Olympic qualifier (and was tougher). I also participated in 2022 and lost in the quarterfinals. That was a big heartbreak for me.
I boxed well and I didn’t have a medal in the World championships. I wanted to win a medal. And now I got a chance to lay my hands on it.
In the quarterfinals (against Poland’s Emilia Koterska in Liverpool), I lost 2-3 in the first round. In the second round, I put all my energy into it. I thought that if I give my best in this round, only then something can happen. I won the second round 5-0 and the bout with a 3-2 margin. When my medal was confirmed, I felt as if it were a dream.
You have worked with coach D. Chandralal before. How was it working with him again?
Yes, Chandralal Sir was in the camp in 2012. I started boxing in 2009 but I didn’t compete in any major event till 2012. My first major event was with Chandralal Sir. I won a silver medal in the Asian championships. Now he has returned again as the coach.
I felt good. I remembered the old days when I started (as an international boxer) with him. Now I train with him even when I am in the last stage of my boxing career. He is very strict. I have never seen anyone as strict as him. People said a lot of negative things about his training methods, but you see the performance.
Apart from the major events next year, the 2028 Olympics is also there. For how long do you want to carry on?
If next year turns out to be a good one for me, then I will continue further. I will go step by step.
What are the areas you need to work on?
I feel I will have to work on my stamina. Before the Liverpool event, we had our training in Sheffield. Because of the change in weather, I got a cold.
In the last round I was having a little stamina problem. I was getting tired. I will work on this area. Obviously, I will pay more attention to increasing my strength.
This World championships is also special for you because Nupur Sheoran, who is like a sister of yours, also got a medal in 80+kg. How happy are you?
Yes, it is a matter of happiness that the four medals that have come are from Haryana. And three are from Bhiwani. And two are from the same academy – Captain Hawa Singh Boxing Academy.
Published – October 07, 2025 11:17 pm IST