Boxer Rinki Sharma knocks out patriarchy

Rinki hails from a region in the western UP which isn’t known for producing boxing champions. But she decided to write her own script and is now making her mark. Her inspiring journey is similar to that of World champion Nikhat Zareen, who also fought patriarchal mindset and a state’s indifferent attitude towards boxing to become India’s No.

1 in the women’s flyweight category. Just like Nikhat told the world that boxing wasn’t all about male masculinity and that girls could also take pride in a bloody nose or cut on the cheek, Rinki has shown her detractors that boxing is not just a boys’ thing. When Rinki took up boxing, it created a stir in her village.

The talented lightweight was told by village elders to get married, as competing in a contact sport would affect her chances of finding an eligible match. But the 23-year-old from remote Ginaura Janardar village in UP’s Bulandshahr district didn’t allow them to undermine her efforts. She fought not only inside the ring but a whole bunch of naysayers off it.

“The distance from my house to the academy was around 15km. For training twice a day, I had to cycle almost 60km every day. While my parents were supportive of my choice to become a sportsperson, the village elders didn’t appreciate it.

When I would pass through the village bylanes on my bicycle, the elders would pass nasty comments,” said Rinki, a bronze medallist at the 2019 Nationals. “I used to cycle in salwar-kameez from my home, and change into my sporting gear after reaching the academy. It continued for three-four years and then moved to Aligarh after winning gold at the state championships,” she said.