Indian Boxer Jaismine Lamboria Draws Inspiration from MS Dhoni for Mental Fortitude

New Delhi. Indian boxer and World Champion in the 57 kg weight category, Jaismine Lamboria, earns her living by punching in the ring. However, when it comes to facing pressure, she draws inspiration from her country's famous former cricket captain, MS Dhoni.

'I really like MS Dhoni's thinking,' Lamboria said about the former captain, 'There is a specific reason he is called 'Captain Cool', I also want to remain as calm as him.'

This patience will be very useful for Lamboria in the coming days. 24-year-old Lamboria is a strong contender for a gold medal for India in boxing at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. She aims to change the color of the bronze medal she won at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

After winning gold medals at the World Cups held in Astana and Delhi and performing excellently in 2025, she later won the World Champion title in Liverpool. Now she has reached Glasgow with a clear goal. 'My goal is to change the color of that medal to gold,' she said, 'I am training and preparing for that.'

Lamboria, who is 5 feet 8 and a half inches tall, is a tall player by Indian boxing standards. Her start at the Paris Olympics was not smooth, and she was defeated in the first round by Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines, the silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.

However, that loss occurred in the weight category she had just returned to. After spending about three years in the 60 kg weight category, Lamboria returned to the 57 kg weight category during the Paris qualifiers. Her decision proved correct after she became the World Champion by defeating Poland's Julia Atena Seremeta, the silver medalist at the Paris Olympics.

'It was disappointing to be out of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but it opened my eyes,' Lamboria said, 'It brought about many changes in me physically and mentally.' She mentioned that these changes occurred during her training at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune.

Lamboria, who credits the coaches at ASI for improving her physical capabilities, stated that a motivational coach and a sports psychologist helped her become mentally stronger. The Indian Army has provided a large structural framework for her development.

After winning bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Lamboria became the first female boxer to join the army by enlisting in the Corps of Military Police. She is currently training under the Mission Olympics Wing.

'It is a great honor for me that they want to start with me,' Lamboria said, 'I also see this as an opportunity to become a source of inspiration for female athletes.' The Indian Army has been producing Olympians and Paralympians, including Olympic javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra.

In early 2024, the Indian Army launched the 'Girls Sports Company' to train girls aged 12 to 16 in four Olympic sports, including boxing. This has opened avenues for excellent sports talent and recruitment into the army.

'These female athletes are also doing very well,' Lamboria said, 'One boxer has already won gold at the Asian Championship, which made me very happy. I may be the first female boxer in the Indian Army, but I will not be the last.'

Lamboria had a deep connection with boxing even before training and joining the army. Growing up in Bhiwani, a town in the northern state of Haryana, this city, considered the stronghold of Indian boxing, is also called the 'Mini Cuba' of the country.

Her great-grandfather Hava Singh was a former legendary player in Indian boxing. He won gold medals consecutively in the heavyweight category at the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games. He was also one of the founders of the famous Bhiwani Boxing Club, which later produced athletes like Olympic medalist Vijender Singh.

However, Lamboria recalls that in family conversations, his nature was discussed more than Hava Singh's medals. 'He was powerful, but he also had equal humility,' she said.

Her first inspiration in boxing was her uncles Sandeep Singh and Parvinder Singh. 'I grew up watching them play,' she said, 'They are the ones who brought me into this field.'

Lamboria seriously started boxing at the age of 14. After initially training at the academy of Hava Singh's son, Sanjay Sheoran, she continued her training under the care of her uncles.

Despite the boxing environment in the family, Lamboria's family's financial situation was modest. Her father, Jaiveer, works as a Home Guard, and her mother, Joginder, is a homemaker.

'Their support is the main reason I became the first girl in my immediate family to take sports seriously,' she said, 'Especially since I am the youngest among the daughters in the family, their support was immense.'

She states that her sources of inspiration are not limited to her family. Lamboria grew up looking up to Olympic medalists MC Mary Kom and Vijender Singh. Later, she also followed Indian Army boxers Amit Panghal and Manish Kaushik, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, American swimmer Michael Phelps, and Indian sprinter Milkha Singh.

She also gives credit to her senior boxers in her own field, Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, and Pooja Rani. She says they not only win medals but also encourage younger athletes. 'Looking at them makes me want to do what they do,' she said.

Now, Lamboria herself is starting to become an inspiration for others. 'Boxing has long been seen as a male-dominated sport,' she said, 'Competing on the world stage as a female boxer and an army athlete, proving myself, and inspiring others through my sport holds great significance.'

This change is also evident in the Commonwealth Games. Although boxing has been included since 1930, women's competition only started in 2014. The games have already begun in Glasgow from July 24, with the finals scheduled for July 31 and August 1.

Four years after winning bronze in Birmingham, Lamboria hopes to return with a gold medal from Glasgow. 'There is a different feeling when the national anthem plays while competing abroad,' she said, 'I have already experienced that in the World Championship in Liverpool last year. I want to relive that moment here again.'}