Guwahati: A comprehensive loss to Punjab’s Simranjit Kaur during the women’s 64kg trials for the Asian Championships in 2019 triggered a loss in confidence for Assam’s Ankushita Boro, who by then was riding high on her 2017 Youth World Championship crown.
Served with a welcome reality check in her very first year in the senior circuit, the boxer hailing from a nondescript Meghai Jarani village in Sonitpur district had to return to the drawing board, revisit her strategies and patiently wait for another three years (including two years of Covid-19 pandemic), to finally realize her dreams of winning her first medal at the senior international level.
Also with her 66kg weight class out of the Tokyo Games, Ankushita hardly found herself competing in any major international competitions, although she has been a part of the national camp for elite boxers for quite some time.
Pressure of winning medals in every competition can at times backfire on athletes. Ankushita is a prime example of how expectations can impact performance in the ring. Blessed with perfect technique and nimble footwork, Ankushita’s game exhibits the right mix of class and aggression ever since she announced her arrival into the scene in 2017.
Despite being in the scene for more than six years now, Ankushita feels the bronze medal at the Asian Championships in Amman got the much-needed confidence back, and on the other hand reflected that her preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics is on the right track.
A fortnight before the Asian Championships, Ankushita got her first taste of success in the senior level at the 36th National Games in Ahmedabad, where she clinched a gold medal. At the continental meet, Ankushita looked on course to go all the way before a 1-4 loss to Khamidova Navbakhor of Uzbekistan in the semifinals ended her campaign at the Jordanian capital.
“This was my first major international medal at the senior level although I made it to the circuit in 2019. Back then, I would ask myself if I belonged to that level, but once you get a feel of the real game situation, the confidence starts building from inside. It was a satisfactory outing although I would have liked to win the gold medal but a great learning experience,” Ankushita told EastMojo during an interaction.
“Having won the Youth World Championship, I wondered why I lacked the confidence of boxing at the top level, and would often go on a self-introspection mode to work on the areas that demand improvement in my game,” she added.
The 22-year-old feels the National Games gold came at the right moment and gave her the much-needed confidence going into the Asian Championships. She, however, was candid enough to acknowledge that there’s enough room for improvement in her approach.
“I am working on my long range shots as I found myself wanting during the semifinal of the Asian championships. The Uzbekistan boxer managed to make a good connection in the second round of the bout, after which it wasn’t enough for me to make a comeback in the final round. Her game is nothing extraordinary, and that’s why the loss is still playing in my mind,” she said.
At the World Championships in Turkey, Ankushita made a pre-quarter final exit after losing 0-5 to Poland’s Aneta Rygielska. She, however, is relieved that the Asian championship medal has helped her overcome the mental baggage but at the same time, made her realize the importance of approaching each bout with a clean slate.
“The most important change I would want in my game is the approach. After watching the boats of the World Championships and the Asian championships, I found a major difference in the overall approach. While the basics of the game remain the same, foreign boxers approach it with a fearless attitude, win or loss hardly matters to them, they enjoy the bouts and express themselves.
“In my case, I have always approached the ring with nothing but a win in mind, and that sometimes backfires. You can’t expect all bouts to go in your favour, and from every loss, there is a positive which you can take forward to your next bout. That is the change in approach I am looking forward to in my game,” she explained.
Not many boxers have the luxury to have their better halves as their coaches, but in Ankushita’s case, her husband Trideep Borah is one of the most sought-after boxing coaches in the country. For Ankushita, Trideep’s presence in the camp is not only an extra motivation for her but at the same time allows her to work on her game at a personal level.
She prefers to address him as ‘sir’ on most occasions.
“I am thankful to all the coaches in the national camp for believing in my abilities. On the change in approach, (Trideep) sir has backed my decision, and expressed confidence that I can go the distance,” she said.
Seasoned boxer Shiva Thapa also echoed the sentiments of Trideep, saying Ankushita is one “hell of a boxer” with a flawless technique. “Trideep was telling me the other day about certain changes to her game. I simply told him, she’s a hell of a boxer, she can even fight with men boxers in her weight category. She is very strong, dedicated, she just needs to stay focused. One or 10 losses don’t matter, it’s that one win that matters at the end of the day.”
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“Her energy also re-energizes me, she’s new and wants to achieve more. I need that hunger in me as well, I need to keep starving myself, so it’s an honour for me to be in the company of such boxers,” Shiva went on to add.
With the senior women’s national boxing championships next week in Bhopal, Ankushita is sweating it hard at the SAI Stadium here alongside the rest of the state team. A podium finish at the competition will certainly reinvigorate her for the upcoming World Championships scheduled in India in March.
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