I have won the Worlds and CWG titles, want an Olympic medal : Nitu Ghanghas

An unexpected loss at the Nationals last year proved to be the jolt Nitu Ghanghas needed to reset her career trajectory, prompting the boxer to switch to the 51kg weight category, dominated by Nikhat Zareen, with her sights firmly set on the Los Angeles Olympics.

Nitu, the 2023 world champion and 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the non-Olympic 48kg division, suffered a surprise quarterfinal exit at last year’s women’s nationals, going down to Meenakshi Hooda, who also went on to win the World’s gold medal.

The defeat, however, turned into a moment of clarity.

“It turned out to be a good thing that I lost to Meenakshi,” Nitu told PTI.

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“If I had won, I would have taken the gold, felt comfortable and probably never switched to 51kg. That loss was a turning point. After that, I decided to move up,” the former World Youth Boxing Champion said.

The move comes after a prolonged break from international competition. Nitu has not featured in an international event since winning gold at the 2023 World Championships.

However, the pugilist from Bhiwani Boxing Club has done well in national events winning the Elite Women’s Tournament in Hyderabad in June-July.

The shift is not entirely new territory for Nitu. She had earlier tried to force her way into contention at 54kg in a bid to qualify for the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Paris Olympics but fell short, losing out to Preeti Pawar.

With 48kg not part of the Olympic programme, the choices were limited.

“I thought I already have a Commonwealth gold and a world championships title in 48kg. So now my only focus is the Olympics.”

The 51kg division, however, offers no easy passage. Nitu is likely to run into two-time world champion Nikhat in the final of the ongoing Nationals.

But the aggressive, southpaw boxer insists the challenge excites her.

“My entire team has worked hard for me to be successful in this weight category and I’m feeling comfortable. It doesn’t feel like I have changed so that has worked in my favour as I can play aggressively,” she said.

“The opponents in 51kg will no doubt be good. But I will also give it my all. The best thing is that I’m a southpaw boxer. That is a real advantage for me. There are challenges in every bout and weight category.”

Nitu added that the focus has been on building power without altering her natural style.

“Not much has changed in training. We’ve focused on increasing my power and strength.”