Days after losing father, Pooja Rani is back in the boxing ring

Bengaluru, February 8: From the revelry of her brother's wedding to the despair of losing her father, life changed in a matter of five days for two-time Asian boxing winner and Tokyo Olympian Pooja Rani.

But the national champion is back in training and is all set for her first competitive outing of the season as well - the prestigious Strandja Memorial starting on February 18 in Sofia, Belgrade.

"I got back to the national camp," the 81kg category boxer told PTI news agency, her voice reflecting the pain and helplessness of being dealt another blow just when things were seemingly going well for her after ending as a quarterfinalist in Tokyo.

She is used to life going awry at the most inopportune time. A career-threatening shoulder injury some years back and burnt hands just before a major tournament bear testimony to Pooja's struggles.

But this hurts more than anything she has endured so far. The death of her father Rajbir Singh is a crushing blow as he was her biggest motivator.

"He was my biggest inspiration. I was very close to him.

"It happened five days after my brother's wedding last month, I had come back to the camp and suddenly around 3 in the morning of Feb 1, I was told he passed away due to heart failure. I rushed home."

"When I was coming back to the camp after my brother's wedding, he made a victory sign to see me off, I can't get that out of my mind. I keep thinking of about it. It's like I am stuck in that moment," she said.

But life goes on and the boxer from Bhiwani, who also won bronze in the 2014 Asian Games, is hoping to make her father proud at Strandja Memorial.

"Whether I won or lost, all he tried to do was to make me happy. He opposed my love for boxing when I started out but once he got around, he was like a pillar. He was with me through every triumph and every disappointment. I hope I can make him proud."