Kolkata: Mary Kom is undoubtedly an icon when it comes to Indian boxing. The iron lady from Manipur, has gone through a lot of hardship to make it to the top of the mountain and indeed, her journey of struggle and success is an inspiration to many, including the 25-year-old Sonia Lather.
The Haryana boxer recently made the news for her splendid performances in the recently concluded Asian Boxing Championship where she bagged the silver, falling just short of the coveted gold as she lost to China’s Yin Junhua by a 2-1 margin.
SportsCrunch caught up with the bubbly young lady in an exclusive chat over the phone and while talking of Mary’s achievements and contributions to women’s boxing, she said, “Not Indian, not Asian, but I would say that she is a huge figure in world boxing. What she has done is incomparable and I truly have no words to describe her. She is a five-time World Champion. After so much struggle, she has made it to the top. I have read about her life and she has done a lot of sacrifices. She has come right from the bottom and now she’s at the top.”
However, with all due respect to Mary, she humbly said that she idolised her own self.
“I’m very impressed by her (Mary Kom’s) early life. But I am my own idol,” said a confident Sonia.
Further recalling her early days, she eagerly elaborated, “Not many people know about me and my sacrifices. Being a village girl in Haryana is very difficult. In Manipur, from where Mary came, there isn’t much discrimination against females but I guess you know what happens in Haryana. I belong to a normal family. The biggest challenge however is to go out of the village. If one is able to do it, she would be able to make a life for herself. But if one is unable, then she doesn’t succeed.”
“When I was staying away from my parents, and that too in a different city, I have followed someone and developed. I have followed Pinky Jangra. When I came to Hisar in 2008, I started staying with Pinky. As a matter of fact, I didn’t go to any women’s hostel and instead stayed at Pinky’s house with her family. She and her family have always supported me and at an age when people’s minds are get easily diverted, they have helped me stay focused.”
Adding that Pinky and her family would always top her priority list, the boxer said, “It’s been a ten-year journey with her family and I would always dedicate my success to her family ahead of mine. Just yesterday I came to Hisar and although I have my own house there, I first travelled to Pinky’s house to meet her family. Yes, parents do give birth but they have been with me through it all. They are always my first priority.”
The Asian Boxing Championship final was a much anticipated one with everyone pinning their hopes on Sonia to get India the gold in the 57kg category but eventually she missed out by just a whisker to settle for the silver.
But Sonia is happy with the fact that she had given her best against a top boxer like Yun Junhua.
Opening up on the Asian Boxing Championship final in the 57kg category, she said, “It felt very nice. I had won the silver in the 2016 World Championships. I had lost by the same 2-1 margin in the final. I had lost to an Olympic silver medalist in the final (Asian Championship). It was a good feeling having given a tough fight to a top wrestler but yes, it was just a matter of one point. I had given my 100 % and I’m happy about that.”
The Haryana boxer also heaped praise on Ajay Singh, the president of the Boxing Federation of India adding that he has been, “great” for the organisation.
“Ajay Singh, who is BFI’s president now is a great man. Seriously he’s great. He has provided us with all sorts of facilities immediately when we needed it and now, we are getting a lot of support from him. Things are working well in the BFI and the results have proven it,” she said.
Much like Aamir Khan’s blockbuster Dangal, which was a movie based on the lives of Haryana wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogaat, Sonia’s success has resonated through her village and now, she is happy that her performances have led people to alter their mindset about women’s boxing.
“Yes it obviously feels very nice. But if there’s someone to educate them, then people will change. There are people who have changed their mindset looking at us. It feels good that people are changing taking us as examples,” she said.
A determined Sonia further added that she has her sights set on the Commonwealth Games next year.
“I’m entirely focused on the Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held next year in April. I always feel comfortable by doing hard work. Even if I miss a single training, my confidence level falls. Even during the Asian Championships, I had it in my mind to make it to the finals at any cost. No matter what the result is but I always pushed myself to make it to the summit clash,” she said.
While signing off, the jubilant young lady, who was humble enough to speak about all her experiences in detail had a word of advice for the village youth, who have been, on many occasions stopped from travelling outside the village by family members.
“My message to all those who are striving to make it big is to continue doing the hard work. Many parents fight against the society and send their daughters outside the village. Even if the parents agree, the other relatives don’t. My message to those girls is that to do a lot of hard work and prove everyone wrong so that they too start supporting you, ” she concluded.