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 did

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