Boxer Meenakshi Scales New Peak at Worlds

Everybody loves a good underdog story. Young boxer Meenakshi Hooda is in the process of scripting a tale worthy of that.

- ANMOL GURUNG @ Chennai

Daughter of an auto rickshaw driver, Meenakshi, before the seeds of boxing were sown in her mind, was clearly at a disadvantage due to scarcity of money. To compound matters, her uncle didn't want her to pursue her passion—he was against the idea of women getting into combat sports. Despite all the hardships, she persisted and gradually made her way up before joining the national setup.

At the iconic city of Liverpool, Meenakshi, having earned her stripes at the elite level, hit a new peak on Friday. A peak that had once seemed a distant dream. The 48kg boxer, employing her long reach to her advantage, beat Alice Pumphrey of England at the M&S Bank Arena in the ongoing World Championships. A boxer who had started with barely anything, has now joined an esteemed club of becoming a medallist at the marquee event, second only to the Olympics.