Jaismine Lamboria, the rising boxing star from India's mini Cuba

Jaismine Lamboria, the rising star of Indian boxing, secured her spot in the Paris Olympics in the women's 57kg featherweight category at the World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers on June 2.

This triumph came after fellow boxer Parveen Hooda was suspended for failing to declare her whereabouts, leaving the Olympic quota vacant for Jaismine to claim.

Hailing from Bhiwani, Haryana, the 'Mini Cuba of India', Jaismine's journey to the Paris Olympics started in the very heartland of Indian boxing.

Breaking barriers

Born on August 30, 2001, in Haryana's Bhiwani, once known only for its ample temples, has now been rechristened as a boxing hub of India, with the district town possessing several boxing clubs.

Jaismine hails from a family with a boxing heritage where almost all her family members - from her grandfather to her uncles have played the sport at competitive levels to a great extent.

But it was only when Jaismine was all of 14 that she expressed her desire to get into boxing, recalled her uncle Parvinder Singh talking to The Bridge.

But her grandfather refused to allow her into the ring of boxing.

"Ladki? Boxing khelegi?" He questioned the change in thoughts.

However, the medals of Sakshi Malik and PV Sindhu at the 2016 Rio Olympics made him soften his stance, and that helped Jaisimine to box.

Since then, there has been no looking back for the young Jaismine. With her father stuck in his job as a home guard, her uncles - Sandeep Singh and Parvinder Singh - took charge of her blooming boxing career.

Parvinder, who represented India at the Commonwealth Games, stepped up to fine-tune Jaismine's techniques and agility, while Sandeep drove the youngster around for different tournaments.

The two were quite convinced their niece would make it big someday.

Rising through ranks

In 2021, Jaismine won a bronze medal at the 2021 Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai, marking her presence in the Boxing fraternity.

She improved her performance at the Boxam International Boxing Tournament in the 57kg category.

However, the journey has not been smooth for Jaismine. In the middle of the pandemic, she was tested positive for Covid-19.

It was a tough road to recovery as her haemoglobin levels plummeted, she gained weight, and she couldn't train for six months.

She weighed 63kg, gaining six kilograms. But she worked hard and dropped her weight to 60kg.

After a year of hard work, she felt perfectly fit and was raring to go.

Jaismine defeated Parveen, the World Championships bronze medallist, in the Commonwealth Games 2022 trials and cemented her place in the Indian contingent.

At the Games in Birmingham, she made India proud by claiming a bronze medal.

With a bronze medal wrapped around her neck, Jaismine created history by becoming the first-ever female boxer to join the Indian Army.

She also got support and recognition from the non-profit organisation Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ).

Jaismine ended 2022 on a high as she won the National Games gold in the 60kg category.

She competed less frequently in 2023, yet she reached the quarters of the Boxing World Championships.

Later that year, she won the National Championships gold defeating Olympian and two-time Asian champion Simranjit Kaur in the 60kg category.

In March 2024, Jaisimine was all geared up to take on the world and clinch a quota for the Olympics, but she had to bow down in the first World Olympic Boxing Qualifier in the 60kg category.

Earning India the lost quota

For the next few months, Jaismine was sidelined and Ankushita Boro was preferred in the women’s welterweight (66kg) in the first World Olympic Boxing Qualifier.

Jaismine, however, was not disappointed. She worked on her weight. When Parveen Hooda, who earned the quota place in the 2022 Asian Games, became ineligible for the Paris Olympics for a whereabouts failure, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) preferred her along with Simranjit Kaur for the Bangkok Olympic qualifier.

Jaismine replaced Parveen at the last moment as she was the reserve, but she was due to cut her weight to fit into the 57kg category.

Jaismine, a reserve in 60kg for the Bangkok Qualifiers, cut down her weight and played in the 57kg category. She outsmarted her opponents to reach the semi-finals defeating Marine Camara of Mali 5-0 to regain the lost Olympic Quota for India.

The trust and the effort that Jaismine’s family had put in her has finally started to bear fruit.

With the Olympics set to begin on July 26, Jaismine is currently training in Saarbrucken, Germany with the other Olympic-bound Indian athletes.