India's first woman army boxer aims for Commonwealth gold

Jaismine Lamboria, a 24-year-old Indian boxer, is one of the strongest gold-medal prospects for India at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Having won bronze at the 2022 Birmingham Games, she now aims to upgrade to gold. Lamboria is the current world champion in the 57kg category, having won the title in Liverpool in 2025. She made history as the first female boxer to be inducted into the Indian Army, joining the Corps of Military Police. She trains at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, where coaches have improved her physical strength and a sports psychologist has sharpened her mental game.

Lamboria draws inspiration from former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, known as 'Captain Cool' for his calm demeanor. She says that composure will be key in the ring. Hailing from Bhiwani in Haryana, a city known for boxing talent, Lamboria comes from a family with a rich boxing heritage. Her great-grandfather Hawa Singh was a pioneering Indian boxer who won Asian Games gold in 1966 and 1970. She started boxing seriously at age 14, training under her uncles Sandeep and Parvinder Singh.

Lamboria hopes to inspire other women by breaking stereotypes about boxing being a male-dominated sport. She notes that the Indian Army's Girls Sports Company, launched in early 2024, is already producing talented young athletes. The women's boxing competition at the Commonwealth Games begins on July 24, with finals on July 31 and August 1.