Indian Army Women Boxers Shine at Asian Elite Boxing Championship 2026
Emerging Champions in the Ring
Though they are newcomers in olive green uniforms, these women have already made a significant impact.
Recently, female boxers from the Indian Army showcased their skills at the Asian Elite Boxing Championship 2026, securing two gold medals and one silver.
They were part of the four Indian women who clinched gold at the event, with the only male gold medallist also representing the Army.
The championship took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from March 28 to April 10, featuring 230 boxers from 25 different countries.
The Indian contingent, comprising 20 members including both male and female boxers, finished in second place overall.
All the Army's female medallists are from the Corps of Military Police (CMP) Center and School in Bengaluru, which is notable for being the first Army branch to recruit women under the Agnipath scheme initiated in 2022.
Naib Subedar Preeti Pawar and Havildar Arundhati Chaudhary earned gold in the 54-Kg and 70-Kg weight classes, respectively, while Naib Subedar Jaismine Lamboria took home silver in the 57-Kg category.
Notably, Naib Subedar Jaismine made headlines at the World Boxing Championship 2025 by becoming the first female Army boxer to win a gold medal, earning the Sena Medal in January 2026 for her achievements. She comes from a lineage of boxers and enlisted in the Army in 2022.
Naib Subedar Preeti, originally from Bhiwani, Haryana, joined the Army last year and was the first woman athlete to be directly appointed as a Junior Commissioned Officer. She is also a World Boxing Cup gold medallist.
Hailing from Kota, Rajasthan, Havildar Arundhati joined the Army in 2022 and is an accomplished international boxer, having won the Junior World Championship in 2021 and a gold medal at the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.
The Army also boasts other international female boxers, including Nupur Sheoran, a two-time gold medallist at the 2025 World Boxing Cup, and Sakshi Dhanda, who won gold at the 8th Elite Women’s National Boxing Championship in 2025.
As the Army continues to expand its ranks of women personnel, there is a growing focus on promoting female athletes. The establishment of the Army Sports Girls Company in Pune aims to recruit talented women and provide them with opportunities in various sports.
Disciplines such as shooting, archery, wrestling, rowing, fencing, and weightlifting have been earmarked for these athletes. They receive training at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, a leading facility under the Army’s Mission Olympics programme, which collaborates with the Sports Authority of India.
Founded in July 2001, the ASI serves as a multi-disciplinary institute dedicated to discovering and nurturing the athletic talent within the Armed Forces and recruiting promising athletes from across the nation.