There will be more responsibility now after Arjuna award, says boxer Sonia Lather

NEW DELHI: Elated after being nominated for the Arjuna Award, Indian female boxer Sonia Lather said the recognition will mean more responsibility going ahead.
Sonia, who has two Asian Championship medals to her name (silver in 2012 and 2017) was among 19 sports persons whose names have been nominated by the awards selection committee for the Arjuna award. The list also has the likes of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, footballer Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and shooter Anjum Moudgil.
“I am preparing for the Inter Railway tournament. I was training with the other boxers and one of the coaches came to me and broke the news. I was waiting for this for a long time. I am proud that I will now be called an Arjuna awardee. I don’t have words to express my happiness. I have to keep working hard to earn more awards in the future,” Sonia told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
“With this prestigious award, there will be more responsibilities on my shoulder now. People know who Sonia Lather is and that’s because of this award. This award has given me an identity and recognition,” she said.
Sonia has her eyes set on the upcoming boxing World Championships in October in Russia and then the Olympic qualifiers which start in January 2020.
“This award is a morale booster for me ahead of the Olympic qualification tournament (Asia/Oceania) next year,” Sonia, who won a silver at the 2016 World Championship in Astana told TimesofIndia.com.
“I am a boxer who plans every bout and I love making it to the finals of a tournament. I draw up a list of things to do for every session and make sure I complete everything on the list in every session. I make sure every box is ticked,” the boxer signed off.