As Preeti Pawar landed one jab after another on a hapless Scarlett Delgado in Glasgow, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Indian pugilist was a veteran cruising to another gold medal. But as the headgear came off and she stood on the podium holding her gold medal aloft, the 22-year-old, affiliated with JSW’s Inspire Institute of Sport, showed that this was only the beginning. Preeti was dominant and fast, matching speed with accuracy to keep her opponents at bay. She did not concede a single round on her way to the gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Her ruthlessness could be attributed to a soldier’s mindset, something she developed during her time in the Indian Army.”I am from the Indian Army,” Preeti said with pride in an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal.
“When I think that I am from the Indian Army, I get excited. I want to give my best. You can understand how strong a soldier’s mindset is. The Indian Army has given me a lot of support. When we don’t have a national camp, we have facilities to train at the Army Sports Institute.
“Being from the Army, I feel different when I go to the ring. I want to give my best and make everyone proud. I think of the other soldiers who are on the border. I can’t go there for India, but at least I can give my best here so that India feels proud.”
A champion’s comebackAt 22, Preeti has a CV to be proud of. She took up boxing as a child amid the rise of women’s sport in Haryana, drawing inspiration from her father and uncle, the latter of whom taught her boxing. Pawar is already an Asian Games medallist and competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics. That appearance came between her battle with hepatitis. Nearly sidelined for two years, Preeti is on the comeback trail, and her punches have only grown stronger.”I had suffered from hepatitis before the Paris Olympics. That was physically challenging. My body became very weak. But I think every athlete has to go through ups and downs in life. Even then, my focus remained on what I could learn from this experience. The illness made me mentally stronger. Physically, it took me a long time to recover. But I had a lot of support, which has helped me return even stronger,” the JSW athlete said.Preeti has since worked with nutritionists and psychologists to be better equipped when she enters the ring. Weight cutting is a major part of boxing, and managing weight while maintaining high energy levels and mental sharpness is vital.
“We have dedicated nutritionists in camp who plan our body composition. The closer we get to competition, the more we shift towards higher-protein sources while being in a calorie deficit. Even during weight cutting, they ensure we eat the right food to stay energised.””We also have a psychologist in our camp. Before every bout, I visualise. I practise manifestation. I do breathing exercises. I do a lot of things to make myself mentally stronger. I am working on them and have a long way to go,” she said.
Further strengthening her mental toughness is her love for art. Pawar enjoys quilling and crafts. Murali Sreeshankar, another 2026 Commonwealth Games medallist and JSW alumnus, recently shared a picture of a gift from Preeti, an “S” with the words “Mamba Mentality” written below and the Commonwealth Games Glasgow logo above. Preeti said she took inspiration from Sreeshankar’s comeback from injury.”If we talk about Sreeshankar Bhaiya, he has come back from an injury phase. He has made a strong comeback. A lot of people have been motivated by him. I read his story, and I was very inspired. So I made a quilling artwork for him,” she said.”It (quilling) definitely helps me. It helps me control the pressure of competition. I feel free when I do quilling. It helps me divert my mind, focus on something else and release stress before it builds up,” she added.
Eyes on the Asian GamesPreeti received a rousing welcome on her return to India, with well-wishers and media personnel greeting her at the airport. The short turnaround between competitions and the difference in weather conditions are among the challenges before the 2026 Asian Games, but Pawar hopes their training camp in Japan will help the team acclimatise. While the schedule and commitments are not ideal, they have added to her confidence before the tournament.”Since I have won the gold medal, everyone is congratulating me, giving me their wishes and coming to meet me. And I think after two to three days, the training camp will start again. Before the Asian Games, we will head to Japan.”
The training camps, international exposure and support from the government are what Preeti believes have changed boxing’s trajectory. Their performances have also earned respect from fellow pugilists, with Indian boxers gaining a reputation as tough opponents.”I think there has been a lot of support from the federation and the government. The international exposure that we are getting now, getting a chance to box with other countries, all adds to an athlete’s experience. Our skills improve even more when we get international exposure. Because some time ago, people didn’t know much about Indian boxing. Even our opponents didn’t take us so seriously. But now that we are performing, everyone is like, ‘Our bouts are against India. So it’s going to be tough.'”Preeti’s impressive run of form and her physical and mental toughness will be put to the test in the coming months with a packed boxing calendar. There is little time to celebrate the Commonwealth Games success, given that the 2026 Asian Games begin in just over a month in Aichi-Nagoya. Preeti aims to build on the momentum that has seen her win three gold medals at the World Boxing Cup, the Asian Elite Championships and the Commonwealth Games, all within the last 18 months.”Indian boxing is doing great. We did well at the Asian Championships. I won a gold there and wanted to carry the same momentum into the Commonwealth Games. For now, I want to enjoy this moment. I will gain more confidence from this. It will help my recovery for two to three days. Then I will go back to training again. Once I resume, my focus will be completely on the Asian Games,” she said.