CHENNAI: It was euphoria for two boxers — Jaismine Lamboria and Meenakshi Hooda — and their families on Sunday.
A dream that had encountered multiple challenges over the years had finally come to fruition. The Haryana boxers won the biggest bouts of their careers and are set to return to the country as world champions. The two shone brightest in the just-concluded World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, helping India capture two gold medals. Nupur Sheoran and Pooja Rani clinched silver and bronze, respectively.
In the wee hours on Sunday, Jaismine displayed her ability to course-correct on the fly and come out on the winning side at the M&S Bank Arena, where pro heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk was also among attendees. The Bhiwani girl, who's related to former great Captain Hawa Singh, outsmarted Julia Szeremeta of Poland in the women's 57kg final. When the referee raised her hand, signalling her historic feat, the 24-year-old was visibly emotional.
"It was a different form of happiness. I won't be able to express it properly, but it was certainly a joyous moment. Then I ran towards the coaches and told them, 'yes, I have managed to return with a gold for India'," Jaismine later reflected.
Jaismine has been a different athlete following her Paris Games heartbreak. She was the showstopper during the national championships in Greater Noida earlier this year and had also shown her high aptitude during the World Cup in Astana. Jaismine said her decision to train at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) has renewed her energy.
"Soon after the Olympics, I went to the ASI to train under coaches like Chhote Lal Yadav (former coach of MC Mary Kom). The coaches devised a plan for me on how to improve my game, what are the things that I need to change, strength-wise, things related to my physical ability. I was working on those for seven-eight months and it was quite productive."
"I learnt to deal with different styles of games, based on my opponents' game. That added to my confidence and I was also able to increase my speed. The ASI impact reflected during the national camp as well. The coaches (at camp) continued to work on those aspects of my game."
Glimpses of her talent was visible for everyone to gauge in the past but Jaismine had struggled to cope with the rigours of the sport at the highest level prior to the 2024 Paris Games. That's when she she hit the refresh button and looked ahead with healthy dose of determination.
"After the Olympics, my goal was, whatever the competitions will come, whatever had happened in the past...two World Championships slipped away, Asian Games slipped away. In the CWG, I had to be satisfied with just a bronze medal. Mentally, physically, I just wanted to keep my focus and go to a higher level. Gradually, that effort reflected in the nationals, World Cup and this. Deep inside, I had those setbacks in my mind because I had even regretted the misses later. Be it aggression or other skills, whatever was possible, I worked on my game for the last one year or so and even now, it doesn't make sense to stop now. I want to improve even further. And I'll do it."
Throughout the Liverpool campaign, Jaismine had operated like a seasoned star, getting the better of rivals with different styles. She has now taken some mental notes on things that could make her a bigger force.
"What I observed during the championships was that if I can improve on connecting my punches, then it could get even better. I will obviously work on my strength as well and also want to become sharper in regards to my skills. I shall keep adding in the training sessions ahead."
Jaismine's story would be a distant dream if not for her uncles, who initiated her to the sport. Jaismine's late grandfather, a former wrestler, was against the idea of women getting into sports like wrestling and boxing but her uncles — Sandeep and Parvinder — had convinced him to allow her to wear the gloves. She's just grateful to her family for giving her the push.
"They were proud and emotional at the same time, my uncle or my mom and dad. I'm happy that I could make the country proud and at the same time, make my mom and dad and my coach proud."
Meenakshi's fairytale run
While Jaismine's uncles were supportive, it was just the opposite for Meenakshi, whose uncle initially didn't approve of her boxing. Daughter of an auto driver from Rurki, Rohtak, Meenakshi has authored a fairytale for herself. In the gold-medal match, Meenakshi got the better of Nazym Kyzaibay, bronze medal winner during the 2024 Paris Games. The victory is not just Meenakshi's, but also her parents' and her coaches who had given her wings to fly.
Riding an auto, her father, Srikrishan Hooda, barely could make ends meet when she was still learning the basics of the sport. All the tears and sacrifices have now paid off and they were naturally elated. "She was so dedicated and used to train twice a day and her father had also sacrificed a lot. Even when was not well, she would not miss her training," Sunita, Meenakshi's mother, told this daily.
"People used to tell us not to let her box. But she was determined and used to tell her father that women are not any less than men and we'll show them I can do it."
With that dogged determination and with the support of coach Vijay Hooda, she began her journey a decade or so ago. And she has never looked back since. Having made history in Liverpool, she is now in a good place to go even higher.
BFI chief lauds champs
Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh welcomed the women pugilists' impressive showing during the campaign. "The performances in Liverpool, where our women boxers defeated some of the world’s best, underline that Indian boxing is on a decisive upward curve. In recent months, we have implemented athlete-first policies, and these results validate that approach. This success gives us the confidence to push ahead with further reforms and new initiatives to empower our athletes. These women boxers are our future Olympic champions," he was quoted as saying in a release.