Aarif Wani hopes to inspire J & K boxers with medal at nationals

With the career not taking off, he completed the NIS coaching course, but a podium finish at the Hisar meet has raised his hopes

A year ago, Mohd Aarif Wani was on the brink of giving up boxing and shifting to coaching. He was not sure where his career was headed, though he was a top boxer from Jammu and Kashmir having won medals at the schools national and the North Zone meet.

Aarif Wani won bronze in his category in Hisar.(Twitter)

A sustainable job to help his family was his priority. His father was the sole earning member in a family of five with an odd job in a shop. With pressure building on him, Aarif did a coaching course from the National Institute of Sport (NIS) so that he could make a living out of boxing.

The pull of the ring was too strong, however, and he trained hard for the Elite Men’s Senior National Boxing Championships in Hisar, which ended on Saturday. It proved a game-changer. Aarif won bronze in the tough flyweight category. “I decided to give myself one more year and then look for a job. Financially, it was becoming tough to sustain. My father does not earn that much. And though they (family) have been very supportive, they also ask me about my next step,” said Aarif, who won three rounds to reach the semis.

Jammu and Kashmir boxers punched above their weight in a way to finish with two medals, from the 12 who were fielded. Chander Dev Singh (80 kg) also won bronze. Both train at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu under Anil Wadhera.

The two boxers hope their performances brings a change for the sport in the state. “Facilities there are bare minimum. We do not have enough punching bags or any advanced equipment. So, for us to win two medals is big. We hope it inspires other boxers in the state. If we get good infrastructure we can perform better,” said Chander Dev. “There are 30-35 kids at the academy. We normally train full time when there is competition. Our focus for the last six months was the national championships.”

Aarif’s family hails from Doda but his parents shifted to Jammu because of the disturbance in the area. He took up boxing at school in Jammu inspired by a senior, and keeps visiting his village in Doda with the hope of training children there in the future.

“I go to my village; things are better now. It is a backward area and is mountainous. People are very hard working, but are so busy earning a living it is difficult to get children into sports. I did the course so that I can teach boxing to some of the kids,” said Aarif, proudly glancing at the medal around his neck.

During Covid, training stopped and Aarif became unsure about his future. “I stopped boxing for some time and focused on studies, then thought of taking up coaching.”

The bronze has spurred him to dream big. He is eagerly waiting for a call to the national camp and also wants to land a job. “I never thought I would win a medal here. It is so tough for us. The boxers from Haryana and some other states are of top quality. But I was encouraged by my coach who told us we have the chance to create history and we went all out.”