Lalneihtluanga was a known face in the boxing circuit in the early 90s in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. Apart from chasing his dreams of becoming a renowned boxer, Lalneihtluanga used to train and motivate other youngsters in the village as well. With his dedication and passion, Lalneihtluanga made it to the national level and won several medals.
But monetary issues in his family denied Lalrinnunga the chance of chasing further glory.
Seeing his family¡¯s terrible condition, Lalneihtluanga was left with no option and started working as a labourer on contract with the local Power Works Department (PWD)
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A father of five boys, Lalneihtluanga wanted his sons to excel in the world of sport and live his dream.
And, the former boxer is a proud father now. One of his sons is an Youth Olympic Games gold medallist. Jeremy Lalrinninga is a weightlifter and not a boxer. But he could be destined for great things.
Jeremy scripted history by winning India's maiden gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics, claiming the top honours in the men's 62kg weightlifting category in Buenos Aires. The 16-year-old from Aizwal lifted a total of 274kg (124kg +150kg) to claim the top honours.
"I just can¡¯t wait to meet my father. I will directly go to his office and will pay a surprise visit to him,¡± Jeremy told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
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"He works as a labourer. I am really proud that my father did everything he could to help me become a sportsman. I am so so happy to fulfill his dreams,¡± Jeremy said.
"He is on contract and can be asked to leave his job anytime. I want him to relax. I will take care of my family now,¡± the teenager said with a smile.
Young Jeremy was introduced to weightlifting at the age of 7 at a gym centre in his village.
"I used to watch boys training at a gym near my house. They used to lift weights. It excited me. That¡¯s what gave me the encouragement I needed to try my hand at the sport," the youngster said.
"I approached those boys in the gym and asked them if they can teach me how to lift. I started doing it and started lifting weights with perfection. May be God wanted me to become a weightlifter someday,¡± Jeremy said.
After some months, Jeremy heard of a new weightlifting centre that had been built in his village.
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"I was really excited and approached Malsawma (Jeremy'ss first coach) immediately. He is the one who gave me professional weightlifting lessons,¡± the 16-year-old said.
Jeremy also learnt the ¡®Bamboo technique¡¯ from Malsawma.
"He used to ask me to bring a bamboo and asked me to lift it slowly. Those were 5mm long and 20mm wide. There was no weight on them, but it was actually tough to lift a stick than a weight because you need to know how to balance it. It is quite tough,¡± Jeremy said.
"I practiced day and night, lifting bamboo sticks and learning the art of balancing. After learning the balancing art, I was asked to lift weights. That¡¯s how I started my weightlifting career,¡± the Youth Olympics 2018 gold medallist told TimesofIndia.com.
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After eight months of rigorous training, coach Malsawma discovered an uncut diamond in Jeremy and he took him to the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune.
With his spectacular performance, Jeremy was one of three boys who were given admission to the Army Sports Institute.
"My first coach Malsawma helped me reach there. He gave me a platform. I owe a lot to him,¡± Jeremy said.
Jeremy began training under a new coach Zarzokema at the ASI.
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Under Zarzokema¡¯s tutelage, the youngster clinched the gold medal at the sub-junior nationals in Patna and then went on to win a silver medal at the World Youth Weightlifting Championship in Malaysia.
He also has a silver in the youth category at the Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Uzbekistan.
"Zarzokema sir is a professional trainer. He has worked a lot on me. A big thanks to him,¡± Jeremy said.
Now, Jeremy has one target ¨C The 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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"I want to perform at the senior Olympics. In January, I will be starting my training with seniors like Sathish Sivalingam and Rahul Ragala. Sanjita and Mirabai will also be there to guide me. I just want to go to Tokyo and do what I did in the Youth Olympics,¡± an excited Jeremy signed off.