INDIAN featherweight boxer Jaismine Lamboria clinched her maiden world title in Liverpool last month, a victory that has left the 24-year-old believing she can come out swinging in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after a disappointing performance in Paris.
Competing in the 57kg category after a switch from her preferred 60kg, Lamboria crashed out in the first round in the Paris Games last year but remained in the featherweight division.
In September, she outclassed Olympic silver-medallist Julia Szeremeta to claim the World Championship title.
Victory ensured she became only the ninth world boxing champion from cricket-mad India.
“I was disappointed with my early exit in Paris, but my training was going well in Pune and I was completely focused on the World Championships,” said Lamboria via phone call.
“I achieved one of my goals – winning gold at the worlds – and I have another to win at the Olympics. Life comes with highs and lows, sometimes there are rejections, injuries and other uncertainties.
“I’m focusing on not feeling low or being too overconfident with my achievements. There’s no pressure of the Olympics but at the same time, I am not being complacent about it.”
Lamboria’s decision to change weight categories came after mixed results in the 60kg division, with a bronze at the 2021 Asian Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games and a quarter-final exit at the Asian Games in Hangzhou three years ago.
Lamboria, who comes from a family of boxers and has a grandfather who is a wrestler, credited her triumph in Liverpool to her mental conditioning at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.
She said the training helped her overcome her nerves.
“Before my final fight, everyone was saying that it’s going to be a good fight as she (Szeremeta) was so good and confident.
“But, I told myself that I don’t have to look at what someone has achieved in the past,” added Lamboria.
“My mental conditioning coach used to take one-hour classes daily, focusing on goals and being optimistic. So, I changed my mentality, learnt from my losses and worked on getting good results.”
Lamboria also adjusted her boxing style.
“I brought more aggression and stubbornness into my style along with working on my cross punching,” she added.
Lamboria will be a key medal contender for India at the Los Angeles Games.
Boxing was officially included in March following a unanimous vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), resolving years of uncertainty over the sport’s Olympic future. — Reuters
