The dusty villages of Haryana’s Bhiwani district, once known for their skewed sex ratio and celebrated as India’s “mini Cuba” for producing champion boxers, have once again reaffirmed their status as the country’s boxing capital.At the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Bhiwani produced five of India’s seven boxing gold medallists, including four women. The feat is particularly striking for a district that recorded a sex ratio at birth of 911 girls for every 1,000 boys till May 2026. (PTI File)At the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Bhiwani produced five of India’s seven boxing gold medallists, including four women. The feat is particularly striking for a district that recorded a sex ratio at birth of 911 girls for every 1,000 boys till May 2026. Yet Bhiwani has repeatedly defied social stereotypes, producing generations of elite women athletes alongside some of India’s finest boxers.The district’s four women champions -- Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Priya Ghanghas (60kg) -- completed a clean sweep in their categories. Sachin Siwach added the fifth gold for Bhiwani by winning the men’s 60kg title.Neighbouring Hisar also contributed to Haryana’s dominance. Ankush Panghal won gold in the men’s 80kg category, while Narender Berwal claimed silver in the men’s 90kg event. Women’s discus throw bronze medallist Seema Kaliraman is also married into a family in Bhiwani. Overall, Haryana athletes won 11 medals, including seven golds, helping India finish fourth.Leading Bhiwani’s charge was 25-year-old Sakshi Chaudhary from Dhanana village. A havildar in the Army and daughter of farmer Manoj Kumar, Sakshi trains under legendary coach Jagdish Singh. Already a two-time youth world champion, junior world champion and eight-time national champion, she became the first Indian woman to win a World Boxing Cup gold last year before adding Commonwealth gold to her resume.Another Army boxer, 23-year-old Preeti Pawar of Badesra village, gave India its first boxing gold of the Games by winning the women’s 54kg title. The daughter of Haryana Police assistant sub-inspector Somveer Panwar, she took up boxing at 14 on her father’s encouragement.Jaismine Lamboria, 25, a Naib Subedar in the Army, captured the women’s 57kg title to add to her 2025 World Championship and World Boxing Cup triumphs. A 2024 Olympian, she overcame initial opposition from her father, Home Guard personnel Jaibir Lamboria, to pursue boxing. Coming from a family of international boxers, she has established herself among India’s leading women pugilists.Dhanana village celebrated again as Priya Ghanghas struck gold in the women’s 60kg category. The daughter of businessman Mahender Ghanghas, she began boxing at 11 before joining the Sports Authority of India training centre in Bhiwani.Bhiwani’s lone male gold medallist, Sachin Siwach of Miththal village, dominated the men’s 60kg category. A former Youth World Champion, he took up boxing at 10 at the Captain Hawa Singh Boxing Academy. Initially considered too weak for the sport, he overcame the odds with the support of his father Krishan Siwach and uncle Pawan Siwach.Nineteen-year-old Ankush Panghal from Hisar announced himself on the world stage by defeating England’s Dimeji Shittu for the men’s 80kg gold, while Narender Berwal of Sorkhi village in Hansi secured silver in the heavyweight division. Haryana’s success extended beyond boxing. In athletics, Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra won silver in javelin. Yashvir Singh of Bhiwani claimed bronze, underlining the district’s growing strength beyond boxing.Para-athlete Sharmila Dhankhad, 39, from Mahendragarh and settled in Rewari, produced one of the most inspiring performances of the Games. A polio survivor who took up para-athletics at the age of 34, she overcame immense physical challenges to win gold in the women’s F57 shot put.