dna Impact: Pugilist Pinki Jangra gets another life, but with riders

Pinki Jangra would have never imagined till Wednesday that luck would give her yet another chance to fulfil her dreams of representing India at the Olympic Games.

Pinki must have cried for hours after losing that alleged "fixed" bout to her senior Railways' teammate Sarju Bala on January 14.

But as luck would have it, Pinki's pleas were heard by AIBA-appointed ad hoc committee after it was reported by dna on January 24 and has decided to give this Haryana pugilist another chance of fulfilling her dreams.

If everything goes as per plans, Pinki could be fighting five-time world champion and London Games bronze medallist MC Mary Kom to seal a berth for the next month's Asia-Oceanic Olympic Qualifiers (51kg) for the Rio Games, to be held in Quinian, China, from March 23 to April 3.

But, before that high voltage clash, Pinki will have to beat Sarju Bala in another selection trial on February 19 and 20 in Patiala.

The condition is simple. If Pinki is able to beat Sarju, then she would have another go at Mary Kom in the second week of March. However, if Sarju emerges victorious in the trial bout, then it would be all over for Pinki.

In simple words, a Sarju victory will ensure Mary Kom a direct entry into the Olympic qualifiers. The Manipur pugilist will not have to face Sarju Bala again because she had already defeated her in the final of the SAG test event before the beginning of the South Asian Games.

However, Mary Kom will still have to secure a quota place in the 51kg before taking the flight to Rio.

There is another twist here. If Pinki loses to Sarju Bala in Patiala again and Mary Kom automatically qualifies for Olympic qualifiers, there is yet another possibility of a showdown between the two if the latter fails to secure a quota place in China.

Based on the current rankings, where Pinki is ranked higher than Sarju, she could well find herself on collision course again against Mary Kom to decide India's participation in the Women's World Boxing championships in Astana, Kazakhstan from May 19 to 27, which will act as the final Olympic qualifier.

"The only hope for Pinki will be Mary Kom's failure to secure a quota from China qualifier. In that scenario, another selection trial will take place between the two. But, that will be the only last chance for them to grab a quota," a top AIBA-appointed ad hoc committee member told dna on Wednesday.

The prospective bout between Pinki and Mary Kom next month has a lot of significance and interest attached to it, given their open dislike for each other. The defeat of five-time World Champion by an unheralded Pinki, then just 19-year-old, in the quarterfinal of the 2009 Nationals marked the start of the unabashed rivalry between the two competitors.

It took an ugly turn during the trials for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in Patiala in May 2014, when Pinki emerged winner in a closely-contested bout. Mary Kom later made a sensational claim that trial was "fixed" and also accused the organisers of racial discrimination on account of her 'North East background. Pinki secured a bronze in the CWG.

Mary Kom, however, returned the favour three months later when she beat Pinki in the trials for the Incheon Asian Games to eventually add another gold medal to her kitty. But, this time, it was Pinki's turn to cry foul.

Very recently, Pinki was again on the receiving end of the selection politics when she was declared the 'loser' in the Test event for the South Asian Games (SAG) less than 24 hours after winning her bout against Sarju Bala.

The story has not ended here. Expect more sparks to fly if this much-anticipated bout takes place in Patiala next month!