A State Level Boxing Champion, Deveshi Rao is currently studying in ninth grade at Kendriya Vidyalaya-2, Udaipur. She has been practicing boxing since eighth grade and believes that Boxing offers self-defense, confidence, physical fitness, and stress relief. Deveshi has won several medals, including a Gold Medal in the Regionals and a Silver Medal in the Nationals. She also secured third rank in a Shot Put competition. She encourages girls to pursue their interests and believes that boxing is a good sport for self-defense.
The Initiation
Deveshi has been practicing boxing since she was in eighth grade, and her seniors encouraged her to try it. Aside from boxing, she also competes in shot put, which requires her to throw a heavy iron ball with a bench mark of 8 or 9 meters.
Gurus & Role Models
She has been practicing boxing at Hemraj Ji ka Akhada under the supervision of her trainer, Narpat Sir, who teaches her thoroughly and motivates all the students. Her coach consistently inspires her and takes his pupils to tournaments outside the city. Deveshi considers her father to be her role model since he constantly supports her and motivates her, even if she loses a match.
The Talent
Deveshi says that boxing improves stamina and keeps you mentally and physically strong. It also allows her to meet new people and become friends with them. Furthermore, she claims that practicing shot put helps strengthen the arms and improves overall fitness. Boxing provides benefits such as self-defense, confidence, physical conditioning, and stress relief. Explaining the sport of boxing, Deveshi says that boxing consists of three rounds of three minutes each, and the ring has two corners: blue and red. One boxer gets the blue corner while the other gets the red corner. There is a break between rounds where the attenders give water to the boxers, massage them, and advise them what to do next. She believes that there should be no fear in the boxing ring.
Achievements
Deveshi won a gold medal in a regional competition while she was in seventh grade. Then she was chosen for the nationals in Jammu-Kashmir and won a silver medal there. When she was in ninth grade, she went to the regionals again and won a gold medal, and she is now preparing for the nationals. She also finished third in a shot put competition. Aside from that, she has been awarded the Rajya Puraskar for Scouts and Guides.
A Bit More
Deveshi explains that in order to prepare for the nationals, she gets up early at 6 a.m. and goes to school for practice. She also has to maintain her weight for the nationals, for which she follows a strict diet. After school, she practices again in the evening. She encourages other young stars to take up sports since it helps with their grades and also facilitates government employment. She claims that obtaining sports qualifications can benefit you in the future when applying for government positions. Deveshi encourages all girls to try sports based on their interest as they can accomplish anything they wish. Boxing is an excellent activity for self-defense and is especially useful for females. The statement "One should never look towards defeat or victory, one day we will definitely succeed" inspires her greatly.
