From lost bronze to rekindled fire! Parveen Hooda returns stronger after ban

NEW DELHI: For nearly two years, boxer Parveen Hooda lived in silence. Not the quiet of peace, but the heavy, suffocating kind that follows heartbreak — the kind that seeps in when the only thing that mattered to you the most suddenly stops mattering.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 25-year-old from Rurki village in Rohtak, Haryana, who had once proudly clinched bronze at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, found herself stripped of both her Asiad medal and the consequent Paris Olympics quota spot. Her world collapsed when the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced in May 2024 that she had committed three whereabouts failures between April 2022 and March 2023 — a violation under WADA’s (World Anti-Doping Agency) anti-doping rules.Her punishment: a 22-month suspension, later backdated to 14 months. Her loss: an Olympic dream she had fought to earn.“Every athlete dreams of competing at the Olympics,” Parveen told TOI, her voice steady but still carrying traces of that old ache. “I worked really hard to get that quota. When the ban happened, I realised all my efforts had gone to waste. It felt like my world stopped.”For Parveen, it wasn’t just about missing a tournament. It was the emotional free fall that followed.

Overnight, her name — once celebrated — became entangled with an unfortunate label. She insists there was no doping, no substance, just a simple, avoidable mistake.“It was carelessness on my part,” she admitted. “I didn’t know I had to update my whereabouts every three months. I was in camp throughout the year, being tested regularly. I was angry at myself for not checking my emails. It was a minor fault, but it cost me everything.

For two-three months, I was mentally disturbed. You suddenly lose your rhythm. You see others competing while you sit out and you start doubting if you’ll ever return.

”It took months for Parveen to even lace up her gloves again. But eventually, she found her way to the Star Boxing Club in Rohtak — where she began her slow, painful rebuild.At Star Boxing Club, Parveen started small. Simple drills, light sparring, focus on fitness.

But then, another hurdle arrived — a shoulder injury that took her out for nearly five months. “I thought maybe this was destiny trying to stop me,” she said with a wry smile. “But I also knew I couldn’t let it end like that. I wanted to fight back, even if it meant starting from zero.”Her psychologist at the national camp became her lifeline. Meditation, visualization and hours of self-reflection followed. “Slowly, I picked myself up.

I told myself setbacks are necessary sometimes; they teach you who you really are. I started dreaming again, and my dream is to win a medal for the country at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028,” she said.Parveen returned to competition at the BFI Cup, where she stunned everyone by winning gold. The smile was back. The bounce in her step had returned. “Winning the BFI Cup was emotional,” she said. “It wasn’t just a medal. It was proof that I could still stand in the ring and fight.”Now training at the National Boxing Academy in Rohtak, Parveen has her eyes on the upcoming World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 — her first major international assignment after suspension. “This tournament will show me where I stand. It will help me focus on areas I need to improve before the Commonwealth and Asian Games next year,” she said.For Parveen, the toughest opponent wasn’t another boxer — it was self-doubt.“It’s natural to have doubts,” she admitted. “I listen to lots of positive talks. Watching legends like Katie Taylor helps. I also drew inspiration from seniors like Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain. They’ve faced challenges too, and they kept going.”But make no mistake, the Parveen stepping into the ring now is not the same one from 2023. “Earlier, I used to rely too much on counter-punching,” she said. “Now I focus on landing the first punch. I’ve become more aggressive and smarter in the ring. I’ve worked on my ring craft and my footwork. I don’t want to just survive anymore, I want to dominate.”As she plotted her comeback, Parveen decided to move up to the 60kg category — an Olympic weight division. “I’ve competed in this category before,” she said. “Cutting weight again and again at 57kg was putting my body at risk. Moving up feels right for me physically and mentally.”“This whole phase has made me mentally stronger,” she added. “I take my own decisions now. I manage my own training. I’ve learnt to take responsibility because no one else can live your dream for you.”