India Open Boxing | Winning gold medal in front of family was special, says Jamuna Boro

The India Open Boxing tournament saw a host of Indian boxers display their prowess on the top level with the likes of Mary Kom, Sarita Devi and Amit Panghal all bagging gold medals in the their respective weight categories. However, Jamuna Boro’s gold medal in the women’s 54kg category was undoubtedly the most impressive win due to the emotional backstory behind her win.

Boro, who was brought up by her mother who is vegetable vendor, was surrounded by her family at the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium on Friday as she beat Sandhyarani Devi 5-0 in the final bout.

“It was for the first time they saw me in the ring and winning the gold medal in front of them was really special. I will cherish this forever,” Jamuna told PTI sources.

The Boro family travelled all the way from Dhekiajuli, which is almost 130 km away from Guwahati, to support the 22-year-old boxer who went up against her ‘nemesis’ Meena Kumari Maisnam in the semifinal earlier in the week.

Meena, who won the 2014 Asian Championships bronze medallist and is also a three-time national champion, had beaten Jamuna four times previously. Jamuna was under tremendous pressure ahead of the semis but revealed that her mother’s words of advice gave her hope heading into the crucial encounter.

“She told me, ‘Life never stops even if you lose. There’s nothing to be worried about. It’s a game after all'. It worked as magic and I found myself without any pressure, for the first time against her. I think it was key to the win,” said Jamuna about the 5-0 semifinal win over the Strandja Cup gold medallist.