Boxer Sarita Devi Laishram's life may look like a dream from outside but in reality it is not so. Her life has not been a smooth journey since her early days when she had to travel miles for training. Sacrifices have been a part of her daily life till date.
Mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy, Sarita sacrificed her motherhood to do something for her country. She is away for months training – working towards her goals of winning medals for her country and only listens to her sons voice on phone. She will get a week to meet her son after Asian Games trial next week in Delhi before going back to training in Patiala.
The silver medallist in the 57-60kg category at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games was here on Tuesday for a treatment on her right wrist for an injury she suffered during a practice before the recently-held quadrennial Games. She battled through pains, popping up pain killers before every bout before going down to settle Shelley Watts of Australia in women's lightweight final.
Without Kiran C, the physio of Indian badminton team, it would not have been possible for Sarita to fight again. "Thanks to Kiran, I could fight because the women's team had no physio and it was difficult for me to fight through pain," said Sarita, who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest.
Having won two World Championship titles and four Asian Championships, a medal at a multi-discipline event eluded her. She felt she could have won had she not been injured and had there been no change in scoring system. "I wanted to go and get something for my country and I am happy to win silver," said Sarita.
"It was difficult to adjust to the new scoring system as you have to get more points. You have to attack more. But I really enjoyed this format because I think it suits me," she said.
"There was no pressure on me. I wanted to do something for my country, we tried but there was no women's boxing in CWG during Delhi Games as far as 2012 Olympics I moved up from 51 kg to compete in 60kg but it was not possible to be prepared in short time," she said.
Now, she has set her eyes on the Asiad. "I have won the Asian Championships, so I know what to expect. After the Asiad, I will be preparing for the Olympics where I am desperate to win a gold."
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