Newly crowned youth Olympic champion Jeremy Lalrinnunga wanted to follow the footsteps of his boxer father but no sooner did the teenager see the unadulterated use of strength in weightlifting he had his heart set on the sport.
The 15-year-old created history by clinching India's first ever Youth Olympics gold after lifting a personal best total of 274kg (124kg +150kg) in the men's 62kg weight category in Buenos Aires.
As his father Lalneihtluanga was a national level medal winning boxer, Lalrinnunga himself aspired to become a pugilist from an early age but that changed when he learned about weightlifting.
"It's a sport that involves strength and that is the reason I love it," Lalrinnunga said.
Soon after an eight-year-old Lalrinnunga was enrolled at the Mizoram Weightlifting Academy. A year later he was sent to the Army Sports Institute to train in Pune.
"I have been training at the Army Sports Institute since 2012," the Aizawl boy said.
Starting off in the 50kg category, Lalrinnunga won the national gold but the teenager has struggled with maintaining his bodyweight. jumping from 50kgs to 62kgs in a span of two years.
However, weight issues were not the only obstacles in Lalrinnunga's Youth Olympics preparation, the teenager also contracted chicken pox months before the big event.
With the Youth Olympics gold under his belt, Lalrinnunga is already gearing up for the future. He is eyeing the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
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