Preeti Pawar

Preeti Pawar (born 23 October 2003), also known as Preeti Sai Pawar, is an Indian boxer. She is a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army. She won the gold medal in the women's 54 kg at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2025 World Boxing Cup finals. She has also won the bronze medal in the women's 54 kg event at the 2022 Asian Games.

Early life Preeti was born in Bhiwani district of Haryana. Her parents, who were former athletes, encouraged her to take up a sporting career. She was introduced to boxing at the age of 14 by her uncle, Vinod Pawar, a former boxer. She trained initially in her uncle's academy in Bhiwani.

In 2025, she was commissioned into the Indian Army as a Naib Subedar.

Career Preeti won the gold medal at a state level tournament in Panipat, and later won the gold medal in the Youth National Boxing Championships. She won the silver medal at the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games and later won the gold medal in the 2021 edition. In the 2023 Asian Games at Hangzhou, she defeated two-time Asian Amateur Boxing Champion Zhaina Shekerbekova in the quarter-finals of the 54 kg category. Though she lost in the semi-finals, she won the bronze medal, and secured a quota place for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

In the boxing events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Preeti competed in the 54 kg category. She advanced to the round of 16, where she lost to Yeni Arias of Colombia. She had been hospitalized with an illness in the run up to the Olympics, and she had to take a break of nearly two years to recuperate. She returned to competition at the Boxing Federation of India Cup in 2025.

In the round of 16 of the women's 54 kg event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she defeated Malawi's Deborah Mtenje by a knockout to advance to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, she defeated Nicole Clyde of Northern Ireland to progress to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, she defeated Catherine MWape of Zambia to progress to the finals. In the finals, she defeated Scarlett Delgado of Canada by an unanimous decision to win the gold medal.