“Boxing has helped me grow in confidence”

SIMRAN

Team GB athlete Simran Kaur says boxing has helped shape her self-belief, in and out of the ring

It started as a hobby when, aged 12, Simran Kaur put on a pair of boxing gloves for the first time. Five years later, she’d landed herself a place in the British boxing squad. Now 19, she says, “I didn’t expect this to happen, but I enjoyed boxing, then started competing nationally before being selected for international competitions.” Every other week, Simran, who’s from Telford, travels to the GB boxing training base in Sheffield where she has a strict schedule. “We wake up at 7am, weigh ourselves, then head for the running track to do a variety of sprints,” she explains. “After breakfast, we’re in the gym for strength and conditioning and in the afternoon we’re back in the gym.” She sticks to a diet of porridge with fruit for breakfast, chicken and rice for lunch and some protein with vegetables and a small portion of carbs for dinner. Simran’s husband, Raheem Muhammed, is a professional boxer too: “It’s great for us as we’ll eat well together and train together.” For Simran, the sport has done more than just earn her a place in the GB team. “I was quite timid and shy when I was younger, whereas now I’m growing in confidence,” she says. “You see people on social media with a six-pack and it can make you envious, but boxing has helped me a lot with body positivity, and exercise makes me feel happier and more energised.”