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Pooja Rani is an Indian amateur middleweight boxer. She was born on 17 February 1991. Pooja belongs to Nimriwali village, in Bhiwani district, Haryana. Even after hailing from a place that is often referred to as the sport's cradle of India, boxing didn't come easy to her.
Pooja's father was stringent about her taking up boxing. During her college days, Pooja participated in an inter-college boxing tournament and bagged a silver medal and this ignited her passion for the sport.
Pooja then joined the famous Hawa Singh Boxing Academy in her town and kept it a secret from her parents. However, her father got to know about it.
Later, Pooja's coach Sanjay Kumar Sheoran intervened and convinced her father to allow her to explore the sport. Pooja grabbed the opportunity and there has been no looking back ever since.
Although Pooja has seen peaks and valleys throughout her career, it has only pushed her to be a better performer.
And today, she will travel to Tokyo as the second most experienced boxer after the legendary MC Mary Kom.
Pooja Rani's recent performances
In 2019, Pooja won a gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championships. She defeated Mavluda Movlonova in the 75 kg category in the recently held Asian Boxing Championships final in Dubai.
Going down the lane, Pooja bagged silver and bronze medals in the 2012 and 2015 editions of the Asian Boxing Championships respectively.
Pooja was in great form from 2012-15 and it seemed like the 2016 Rio Olympics cut was within reach for her. Unfortunately, she lost to Savannah Marshall again in the second round of the 2016 world championships and fell short of qualification.
Soon after, her career took an unfortunate turn, as she suffered serious burn injuries and, during her recovery, she dislocated her shoulder and had to go under the knife. But she never gave up and recuperated from all odds.
In April 2020, Pooja went on to become the first boxer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in the middleweight Category. She defeated her 18-year-old rival Thailand’s Pornnipa Chutee in the quarterfinals to book her Tokyo ticket.
Pooja Rani’s biography
Date of Birth: 17 February 1991 (age 30)
Birth Place: Nimriwali, Bhiwani district, Haryana, India
Sport/Event(s): Boxing, 75kg category
Pooja Rani's Major Achievements
-2012 Asian Boxing Championships silver medallist
-2014 Asian Games gold medallist
-2015 Asian Boxing Championship bronze medallist
-2016 South Asian Games gold medallist
-2019 Asian Boxing Championships gold medallist
-2021 Asian Boxing Championships gold medallist
Pooja Rani's earnings
Pooja Rani is a middleweight boxer and is affiliated with the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
With less than two weeks left until the Summer Games, Pooja is one of the few contenders who can turn the tables around and end up with a podium finish.
Also read: Will Pooja Rani win a medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020?
