BOXING | Strong-willed Jaismine won gold despite carrying an injury

World champion Jaismine Lamboria’s strong willpower came to the fore in the World Boxing Cup Finals (WBCF) as the southpaw won the 57kg title despite carrying a left shoulder injury.

It is reliably learnt that Jaismine had picked up a muscle stress in her left shoulder during the World championships in Liverpool in September last. Since the WBCF was scheduled close to the Worlds, Jaismine did not have time to go through rehab and recovery. Considering that the WBCF was a shorter yet prestigious tournament being held on home soil, she opted to take part in it.

Jaismine, an Army boxer, began her campaign by posting a 5-0 win over Kazakhstan’s Asian youth gold medallist Ulzhan Sarsenbek in the semifinals on Wednesday.

In the final against a tougher opponent in Paris Olympics bronze medallist Wu Shih Yi, the Indian gave a superb example of her mental strength. She recorded a 4-1 win despite not being able to use her ‘main weapon’ — the left hook.

Even though Jaismine relied primarily on her right jabs and left straight shots to score points throughout the bout, she fought bravely without letting out any signs of discomfort.

It is learnt that now Jaismine will rest her left shoulder for a couple of weeks while focusing on building strength and fitness of lower body parts. She is looking forward to recovering fully before resuming proper training ahead of a busy 2026 calendar, which is studded with the Asian championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.