Boxers Jaismine Lamboria and Arundhati Choudhary Detail CWG Gold Battles

Indian boxers Jaismine Lamboria and Arundhati Choudhary detailed the mental battles, physical challenges, and pressure behind their Commonwealth Games gold medals during a fireside chat at the IAMGAME 2026 Conclave, held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.

Jaismine, the women’s 57kg champion and World No. 1, spoke about the difficulties of returning to competitive training with only three weeks of preparation following a month-long illness. She noted that self-belief and absolute effort in the ring were vital to her success, stating that once athletes understand what they are capable of and overcome self-doubt, nothing can hold them back from doing their best for the country.

Arundhati, the World No. 2 who secured gold in the women’s 70kg category, recounted competing through severe obstacles, including a 102-degree fever, a wrist injury, and concerns regarding her mother’s health. She reflected on her mindset during the event, explaining that with the Commonwealth Games taking place once every four years, she chose to push through the nine-minute bout rather than wait another four years. She emphasized that winning requires mental triumph first, as aggression alone is not enough.

Both boxers underscored the critical role of visualisation, sports psychology, and learning from past defeats when gearing up for major global competitions.

The two-day conclave convened athletes, sports administrators, business leaders, policymakers, brands, and entrepreneurs to address the broader growth of India’s sporting ecosystem. Karan Singh Chettri, Founder and CEO of ESP 360 Degree Solution and IAMGAME, explained that the platform was created to tackle gaps in access, participation, and collaboration across Indian sports. Chettri noted that India's sporting future cannot rely solely on producing medallists, stressing the need for tens of thousands of participants at the base to expand the talent funnel and change parental mindsets.

The conclave also presented several awards for contributions across the sporting sector. GoSports Foundation received recognition for Social Impact Through Sports, while the PWR Indian Pickleball League was awarded Best Emerging League and Sports Event of the Year. Hyundai Motor India won Sports Marketing Campaign of the Year, CoLLearn Education was named Sports Startup of the Year, GM Abhijit Kunte received Coach of the Year, and Anahat Singh was named Rising Star of the Year. In the Athlete Excellence categories, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues were named Athlete of the Year – Female, Abhinav Shaw and Gurtej Singh Bhatti earned Gold honours in the Male category, and Munna Khalid was named Para-Athlete of the Year.