India’s new boxing sensation Manju Rani has her eyes set on Olympic gold in 2024 but she wants to concentrate in the 48kg-category at the moment. The 20-year-old had a dream debut as she bagged silver at the recently concluded World Championships (48kg) in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
The Haryana boxer lost the final 1-4 to second-seeded Russia’s Ekaterina Paltceva. Rani is not keen on participating in the 2020 Olympics and says she is preparing herself for the 2024 edition.
Rani competes in 48kg weight category which is currently not recognised, meaning she will have to switch to 51kg category or higher.
In a conversation with The Sunday Guardian, Rani talks about her ultimate goal and the advice given by Mary Kom for her upcoming tournaments.
Excerpts:
Q. Will you participate in the 2020 Tokyo games?
A. My dream is to win Olympics. 48kg-category is not there in Olympic games. I have been thinking of changing my weight category for 2024 Olympics. I have not thought anything about Tokyo games. I want to cement my place in the 48-category first and perform well and then start preparing for 2024 Olympic games.
Q. Tell us about your experience at the World Championships. Has it helped you in anyway?
A. I wanted to give something back to my country and I have done it. I have gained a lot of experience from the World Championships. Before this, I was there in training tours, I had confidence in me during that time as well. I had some really good bouts and opponents at the World Championships. I got to know where I was lacking. At the moment, I want to work on my weaknesses and come out as a better performer.
Q. How did Mary Kom motivate you? What advice did she give?
A. We hadn’t communicated before the bout. But she had told me that I had the ability to well. She has motivated me a lot. She has asked me to focus on my training and said that I can always ask for her advice whenever needed.
Q. What is your ultimate goal?
A. My ultimate dream is to win gold at 2024 Olympics.