Uncle's guidance, Hepatitis battle, Baklava treat: CWG 2026 champion Preeti's boxing journey from indifference to dominance

The 2022 Asian Games bronze medalist Preeti secured the women's 54kg gold medal at the CWG 2026 after defeating Canada's Scarlett Delgado by unanimous decision in the final on Saturday.

Speaking to ANI, Preeti's mother, Salin Devi, said that initially the boxer was not much interested in the sport, but the encouragement of her uncle Vinod, a boxing coach and a national-level medalist, finally got her into the sport.

Moreover, the presence of a family member in the sporting environment helped build trust since people were initially hesitant to send their daughters out for sports.

"I am feeling very happy (on her daughter's medal win). There were many difficulties. In the beginning, she did not like playing boxing that much. Her uncle (kaka), who was a boxing coach, was the one who encouraged her to get into it, thinking she could progress in this field. Since her coach was from within the family, it helped build trust. Eight or ten years ago, families were often hesitant to let girls travel for sports," said Salin.

Salin recalled how, due to initial hardships, her daughter wanted to quit boxing, but continued through all the grind, wins and losses, which raised her confidence with each step.

Hailing from Bhiwani, a strong hub of boxers in India, which has produced stars like Olympic medalist Vijender Singh, Jitender Kumar and Akhil Kumar, she emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Indian boxing from the region known as the "Little Cuba" for producing several world-class boxers.

Preeti rose rapidly in the national circuit with a silver at the Khelo India Games in 2020 in Guwahati, followed by a gold at Panchkula in the 2021 edition. A promising showing at the 2023 New Delhi World Championships (a pre-quarterfinal finish) and a bronze in 54 kg at the Asian Games in Hangzhou (2023) solidified her further on the boxing map, confirming the medal by beating Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan, a multiple-time World Championships medallist, in the quarter-finals before crashing out to China's 2024 Olympic champion Chang Yuan in the semis.

However, a bout of Hepatitis A just before the Paris Olympics 2024 derailed this smooth-running train of momentum, stalling her progress, leaving her needing bed rest, drained of all her energy. Nonetheless, she represented the tricolour with all her might, losing to Colombia's Yeni Arias in the pre-quarterfinals 2-3.

During November 2025, Preeti bounced back, serving the world a reminder of strong Indian boxing heritage, a never-say-die attitude and her perseverance by capturing the gold at the World Boxing Cup in 2025. On her road to gold, she outpunched Paris Olympics bronze medalist and then-world number one Huang Hsiao-wen.

Usually in Indian culture, it is the elder sibling/family figure who serves as the guiding light, as an inspiration and a motivator in life. But it's Preeti's heroics which have flipped the script, as her elder sister Sonam looks upto the 22-year-old as a source of inspiration.

"Her journey has been quite tough. But the way she handled everything was truly commendable and very motivating for us. Even though I am her elder sister, Preeti is my source of inspiration," said Sonam.

Recalling her sister's health battles before the Paris Olympics, Sonam said, "Just a month before the last Olympics, she was diagnosed with Hepatitis A. At that time, she was in Germany, completely on bed rest. Her physical strength was drained, and she could not train."

"Yet, despite all that, she gave a fantastic performance at the Olympics and refused to give up. Even when she worried whether she would be able to continue her sporting career, she made a remarkable comeback. Seeing how she turned things around makes us immensely proud," she added.

Sonam was extremely ecstatic with her sister's win, and watching her in action makes the entire family joyous and even more supportive of her goals.

"We already knew that she would be able to do it--her hard work has finally paid off. We had complete faith in her dedication, knowing she would win and bring home the gold. We are just overjoyed that she made it happen," said Sonam.

"Just watching her brings so much joy. We don't even need to motivate her--she is the source of our motivation. We are simply here to support her in whatever she does and every step she takes," he added.

The mood of festivities, warmth and celebration would only get better once the boxer reaches home at Rohtak, where traditional dishes like churma and kheer await her.

Her mother said on welcoming her, "We will make her dishes like kheer and churma."

Signing off, Preeti's sister revealed her strict weight loss regime leading up to the event and revealed that dietary shackles would be broken with a baklava, with the boxer having planned for herself a little self-treat.

"As for food, she was on a weight loss regime earlier and had to manage her weight carefully. Now she can eat to her heart's content! She loves churma, which mom will make for her, and anything else she feels like having. Just yesterday, she told me that as soon as her bout ends, she's going to go eat baklava," Sonam signed off.

Coming to the bout, Pawar made a composed start to the bout as Delgado landed a few early punches. The Indian boxer remained patient and gradually found her rhythm, responding with accurate punches and using her left hook effectively.

The judges awarded the opening round to Pawar by a unanimous 5-0 scoreline.

Pawar continued to grow in confidence in the second round, landing cleaner and more precise punches. She took control of the contest midway through the round with a flurry of sharp combinations that forced a standing count for Delgado.

The judges again gave the round to Pawar 5-0, leaving the Indian boxer just one round away from securing the gold medal.

Pawar maintained her dominance in the final round, dictating the pace and keeping Delgado on the back foot. She continued to land cleaner punches, including a crisp left hook and a solid right hand, as the Canadian struggled to find a response.

After the final bell, Pawar was declared the winner by unanimous decision, securing India's first boxing gold medal of the day at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026. (ANI)