New Delhi: For Jaismine Lamboria, the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool was more than just a gold medal triumph in the 57kg category — it was a stirring comeback story. Barely a year ago, she endured the heartbreak of a first-round exit at the Paris Olympics, a setback that could have derailed many careers. Instead, Jaismine chose resilience, reinventing her training, sharpening her strategic discipline and embracing a renewed mental edge. In this interview, she reflects on her transformation, the defining moments from Liverpool and how she is charting a path towards the LA Olympics with fresh purpose and vision.Q. After your heartbreak at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where you lost in the round-of-32 (opening round), how did you manage to recover mentally?I was really disappointed and a little bit disturbed in my mind after the Paris Olympics. But then the Indian Army played a big role in restoring my motivation level for the sport. There is a book by Vickrant Mahajan called ‘Goal is Gold’, I read that cover-to-cover and that was very stimulating and inspiring. How an athlete becomes a champion and inculcates positivity in themselves. I also attended the positivity classes that’s arranged for us daily and it has made a massive impact in my approach and thinking processes while I am participating in a tournament.Q. What changes did you bring in your training and strategic approach for this turnaround in just under one year’s time?For the last year, I have been training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune. Our Army coaches Chhote Lal sir and Ehetaj sir have worked on my strength, movement inside the ring, power in my punches and counterpunching ability. There were some technical changes too, I tightened my guard, worked on my strategy when and how to release my combination punches. Also, my personal coaches Sandeep and Parminder Lamboria have guided and supported me.Q. How was your world championship experience? You beat some of the best in the world en route to your gold medal. There were former Olympic medallists, world championships medallists in your draw. Share your thought processes during the tournament.In the past, I often came very close to winning medals but couldn’t finish on top. I used to take a lot of pressure, and when things didn’t go my way, I regretted it later. That pattern kept repeating, I kept losing, kept coming back, worked hard and tried again. From the Nationals things changed and I carried it to the World Cup. At the World Championships, I went in with a clear mindset: no pressure. That was the biggest learning from my earlier losses, and it made all the difference.Another turning point was when BFI advised me to shift from 60kg to 57kg. They explained how it would benefit me, and I trusted their guidance. Looking back now, I feel really happy that I made that change because it has played a big role in my success. Winning the gold at the World Championships after beating some of the best in the world felt like everything I had learned and worked for finally came together.Q. You have lost to boxers who have been shorter in height in the past, how did you get your height and reach work to your advantage this time around?At the international level, like the Commonwealth Games, I had to settle for a bronze and even in other big tournaments like the Asian Championships and Paris events I couldn’t do much. Initially, my style was about back-paddling; I lacked aggression. But I worked on every part of my game, especially on how to use my height and reach to my advantage and develop my attacking approach.Q. You won the world championship gold in an Olympic weight category, none of the other Indian medals are in Olympic weight divisions, is the Olympics your next target? What would be your approach in the next couple of years?Now that I have made my comeback with a gold, it feels very satisfying. My training will be directed towards that (getting an Olympic medal), and my coaches will work accordingly on my technical training.
