India, July 21 -- Sakshi Chaudhary has been a constant presence in the Indian team, but this is the first time she will participate in the Commonwealth Games. A junior world champion in 2015 and a two-time world youth champion, the 25-year-old boxer from Bhiwani has seen opportunities slip away. When she missed qualification for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by a whisker, Sakshi was heartbroken. She returned to the ring with renewed purpose and hunger.

So determined was Sakshi to compete at the CWG that she dropped to 51kg class from her usual 54kg. That division is dominated by Paris Olympian Preeti Sai Pawar, one of India's best boxers at the moment. Preeti secured her place at the CWG by winning the bantamweight gold medal at the Asian Cham...