Women’s boxing pioneer Sandhyarani,now wushu queen

Sandhyarani also reveals she had an instrumental role in getting women’s boxing accorded official status in India. “In 1999 the authorities held an exhibition boxing match. I boxed with Sarita Devi. So in a way even I should be given credit for the medals we are winning internationally,” she jokes without a hint of jealousy.

While her pugilistic career was cut short after a disagreement with a coach that saw her walking out of a camp,Wushu seems to have provided a good enough substitute. “I was always interested in martial arts and so when I had to choose a sport after boxing,Wushu appeared to be the right one,” she says.

Despite a silver medal in the Asian Games,Sandhyarani still faces the absence of suitable equipment while training. “We have had several training camps in the last year,most recently in Bhopal,but we have used equipment that come from various other disciplines. Instead of a Wushu mat,which is slightly padded,we simply use a carpet although sometimes we use a taekwondo mat which also doesn’t have the ideal thickness,” she says,before adding,“We cannot do anything about it,so as long as we do not pick up any injury we go along with it.”

With the National Games just around the corner,Sandhyarani has chosen to represent Delhi and not her native state of Manipur. “It was not as if I was not offered the chance to play for Manipur. After I returned from Guangzhou,I attended a felicitation in Imphal. Over there I was asked if I would compete for Manipur. But I felt that I already had achieved quite a lot and Manipur has a lot of good youngsters who are coming up. If I played for Manipur,then I would only be depriving some talent of a chance to shine.”

At 26 years of age,Sandhyarani isn’t the youngest sportsperson in her category,but she is quick to point out that age does not have the final say,at least in her career. “I started boxing when I was 16. Everyone told me that I was too old to box. I picked up Wushu when I was 20 and everyone said that I could not pick up a new sport at that age. I then won the Nationals that same year,” she says.