CHENNAI: Boxers Amit Panghal and Jaismine Lamboria’s tales are sort of a redemption. Though extremely skilled in their craft, the duo were struggling to meet the standards required at the elite level of amateur boxing. Despite some notable wins, they were staring at an uncertain future. That changed on Sunday.
They breathed new life into their careers with notable victories on the day, something that not only secured their near future but potentially handed them an opportunity to alter their lives. They beat their respective opponents in the 2nd World Qualifying Tournament in Bangkok to earn an Olympic quota each. India are now guaranteed to field six pugilists in the upcoming Paris Games.
Sunday’s outcome is a welcome tonic for Jaismine (57kg) and Amit (51kg). Both have experienced hard lessons in recent times.
Amit was once upon a time regarded as the face of Indian boxing. He was the gold standard before the Tokyo Olympics debacle, where he was stunned in his very first fight. Usually composed, that outcome had seemingly messed up his confidence. It was a gradual recovery process and he had to be patient as the coaches/selectors mostly picked Deepak Bhoria over him for key events.
But the 2019 World Championships silver medallist persisted and had some noteworthy wins — he won the national title (Dec 2023) before going on to win gold at the Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria (Feb 2024).
Jaismine’s story is equally fascinating. She was not even supposed to be in Thailand. India were forced to relinquish the 57 kg quota earned by Parveen Hooda after she was suspended for whereabouts failure.
Moreover, Jaismine’s usual weight category is 60 kg. She had made two attempts to qualify for the Olympics before this (Asian Games & 1st World Qualification Tournament). She had failed spectacularly on both occasions before she got a last-minute call from the selectors to regain the 57 kg quota. She is now set to make her Olympic bow.
While Amit and Jaismine took a giant leap, it was a tough pill to swallow for Sachin Siwach (57 kg), who missed out on a quota after losing the third spot box-off bout.