"CWG celebrations hurt me at Asian C'ships trials," says boxer Jaismine at National Games

The then 20-year-old was given a grand welcome back in her village of Bhiwani in Haryana. However, the extended celebrations and functions hurt her training and caused her to miss out on the upcoming 2022 Asian Boxing Championships after going down against the 2020 Tokyo Olympian Simranjeet Kaur in the trials.

"It was very surreal when I returned from the Commonwealth Games. But the celebrations and functions affected my training routine for around a month or more," Jaismine told The Bridge after reaching the semifinals of the ongoing National Games at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre here.

"I think, the never-ending functions somewhere cost me the Asian Championships trials," she added.

The healthy rivalry between Jaismine and Simranjeet has been a point of interest off late for fans and experts alike in Indian boxing. The duo has faced off thrice so far in competitions or trails with the young Jaismine having her nose ahead at 2-1.

The rivalry is expected to continue at the National Games, with both the boxers already having made it to the semifinals after winning their respective quarterfinal bouts on Sunday.

"Simranjeet and I will face off in the final here, if both of us win our semifinal bouts. All our three bouts have been very close. The only focus now is to do my best and walk back home with the gold medal," Jaismine said.

With the upcoming Asian Championships out of question, Jaismine Lamboriya now has her eyes set on the National Championships in December.

"The next major event for me will be the National Championships in December. It is sad that I missed out on the Asian Championships, but I cannot fret a lot over that. The only thing I can do now is to work towards winning the National Championships and end the year on a high," she said.