TINA RAHIMI’S BRONZE IN BIRMINGHAM CONFOUNDS BOXING CRITICS
She was born in Sydney, to an Iranian family. Tina Rahimi (pictured) was a very energetic kid doing some sports such as soccer for fun.
However, after active school time she ‘got a little bit lazy.’ She was back to activity with a local sports gym to get fit but lifting weights and running on a treadmill got boring soon.
‘That was the moment when I found boxing, I started to attend women-only classes. Later I realized that it is a passion,’ remembers Rahimi.
She describes her first training as ‘really, really hard.’
‘I hit bags for the first time and I felt really strong compared to the other women in my class. It felt really good. After some time, it became a little bit boring in the women-only classes. I felt like everyone was not as committed as I was, they all were just doing boxing as fitness or for fun. Therefore, I couldn’t do some partners work, and I joined the mixed class to give it a go.’
She recalls first sparring and a feeling that she was ‘really strong.’ Tina realized that she wanted to fight, which motivated her to train even harder. Just a few months after, she received her first opponent.
‘It was fast, yeah. I know something was in me, I felt it’s something that I’d be good at.’
The first victory wasn’t easy but brought her unforgettable emotions. ‘After it, I knew that I had to get fitter and start running more. That’s when I started to do more jogging.’
It was love from first sight, Tina mentioned. She used every single second to improve.
‘I remember being obsessed. Any opportunity I could have, I would just think about boxing. I was watching videos on Youtube, thinking how I can improve every day to be better.’
BOXING AND RELIGION
Rahimi started boxing when she was 21 years old.
‘It was an independent decision. In fact, my dad and my uncles were into wrestling. My family doesn’t really mind that I do boxing. My mom just told me to watch out.’
Tina keeps religious traditions, for instance, she fasts during Ramadan while she does her preparation for the tournaments. This year it coincided with the training period before the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
‘I woke up at night, had my breakfast before the sun rises, and did my training. At night I ate again, and did my pray that take about an hour. Then I headed to the gym. So I had training twice a day every second day because it would be really hard to keep this routine daily as the body is dehydrated.’
‘It was a little bit harder and I feel like it mentally affected me, but I knew I had all my faith in God. Whatever’s meant to be, will be, I’m going to try to train as hard as possible. I’ll leave it all in the hands of God. That’s how I handled it.’
At the IBA World Championships in Istanbul, she had the first international fight in her career. She didn’t really know what to expect, and in a Round of 32, she lost to Columbian boxer Yeni Marcela Arias.
‘Being the best 57kg woman in Australia boosted my confidence. I thought I would be strong and could win that gold medal, and then I lost by a close split decision. Because of that, I wasn’t too upset with the outcome. It just motivated me more to train harder and work on my weaknesses so I can improve for the next fights.’
A ROLE MODEL
Tina is the first-ever female Muslim boxer in Team Australia. She won a bronze medal in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games at featherweight.
‘I hope girls can be inspired to take up the sport. I want to show them that if you dedicate yourself to something, then anything is possible. Whatever you want to do, it doesn’t matter what you look like, as long as you work hard.”.
Credit: IBA