Commonwealth Games 2026: All you need to know about Preeti Pawar

Indian boxer Preeti Pawar has established herself as one of India's brightest young boxing talents.

After winning a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games and representing India at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 22-year-old heads to her first Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2026.

Preeti has won major international titles, including a gold medal at the 2025 World Boxing Cup Finals and the title at the Asian Boxing Championships 2026, making her one of India's strongest medal contenders in Glasgow.

Early days

Born on October 23, 2003, in Bhiwani, Haryana, Preeti Pawar comes from a family with a strong sporting background as both of her parents are former athletes.

Although she initially had little interest in boxing, Preeti began the sport at the age of 14 after her uncle, Vinod Sai Pawar, a former national-level boxer, introduced her to it.

After convincing Preeti's father, who serves in the Haryana Police, Vinod started coaching her at his academy in Bhiwani.

Preeti slowly rose through the ranks in her state, with her first major tournament being the Youth National Boxing Championships, where she won the gold medal.

Her rise continued through the junior ranks as she won silver at the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games before winning gold at the 2021 edition, establishing herself as one of India's top young boxers.

Rise through the ranks

Preeti's performances at the youth level helped her break into the senior team, and she made her senior World Championships debut in 2023 before qualifying for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

At the Asian Games quarterfinals, she defeated two-time Asian Champion Zhaina Shekerbekova to assure herself a medal. She eventually secured the bronze medal and earned India a quota place for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

She made her Olympics debut at the Paris 2024, reaching till the Round of 16, but gained valuable experience at the biggest stage in world sport.

Overcoming setbacks

Preeti later revealed that she had been hospitalised during the pre-Olympics training camp in Germany after being diagnosed with Hepatitis A.

The illness forced her to miss several important competitions after the Olympics, including the World Championships and multiple World Cup events.

After that, she spent months in recovery and had to wait for almost 2 years to return to competition level at the BFI Cup 2025 and then qualified for the World Cup Finals 2025, her first international tournament since Paris.

She won the gold medal at the World Boxing Cup Finals in Greater Noida and then continued her form to bag the gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championships 2026.

These victories have established Preeti as one of India's most consistent performers in the women's 54kg category heading into the Commonwealth Games.