LUCKNOW: Even while watching ace boxer Lovlina Borgohain collect her bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Chhote Lal Yadav, a coach of the Indian boxing contingent then, had a bigger target. He had immense satisfaction in guiding four of his trainees — Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria and Arundhati Choudhary — to gold medals at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
I am determined to let my trainees change the colour of medals at LA 2028. In 1999, scouts from Sports Authority of India and the Army visited Varanasi searching for raw athletic talent and the 11-year-old from Pahadi village stepped forward. Four of them have won gold at the CWG and two others, Tanu and Pranjal, are getting ready for the big events,” said Chhote Lal, a Subedar in the Army attached to ASI.
“Mark my word. “Big support from Col Kumar and now one can see the results of Army’s women boxers. Yadav’s own entry into boxing was more by chance. He ran, swam and took the trials at Sigra Stadium without assuming anything about his future.
I can now see that Indian women boxers are capable of achieving this,” Chhote Lal said on Wednesday, a day after being selected for the prestigious Dronacharya award for coaching excellence.
He topped the NIS diploma course in Patiala in 2014, then joined Olympic Gold Quest as a personal coach. Between 2015 and 2022 he mentored Mary Kom and others, guiding the ace boxer to Asian gold, World Championship success and Olympic qualification.
“I never had boxing gloves in my hands before, but once I had them, I never looked back and kept throwing punches at my rivals as I knew my hard work would take me somewhere on top one day,” said Chhote Lal. “Winning a semi-final or final often depends on small mental margins, including belief, focus, and the ability to impose your plan under pressure,” he said. Education and excellence followed. “I enjoy coaching future stars. He also highlights individualised athlete management. Recognising that each boxer has a unique physiology and psyche, he tailors training loads, recovery protocols and competition schedules to prevent burnout and injury. He’s also a vocal proponent of integrating sports psychologists into the core team.
