(November 17, 2022) As he stood back up after receiving his gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, the world could see his eyes glittering with tears. But even as billions of Indians celebrated his victory back home, the 19-year-old weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga was still “not satisfied” with his performance. “I am happy after winning the gold medal but not satisfied with my performance. I was expecting to perform better but winning gold for the country is a proud moment,” the champion said while addressing the media after winning the gold medal.
Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga after winning the gold medal at CWG 2022
Passionate about representing India on the international stage, Jeremy is the country’s first athlete under the age of 25 to win a bar of gold – and our youngest Olympian thus far. A shy kid from the state resting in the laps of mountains – Mizoram – Jeremy has made India proud on numerous occasions, including the 2018 Youth Olympics. “We have the World Championships at the end of the year and then the start of the qualification period for the Paris Olympics. That’s my target now,” the young weightlifter recently said during a media interaction.
An early start
Growing up, Jeremy’s bedtime stories were not those of fairies and heroes. Instead, he heard stories of his father winning a national junior boxing championship in the early 1990s, and going unbeaten for six consecutive years. Inspired, Jeremy started training locally with bamboo sticks and water connection pipes at a very early age.
The Lalrinnunga family
The weightlifter was merely nine when he was first spotted by Zarzokima, one of the weightlifting coaches with the Army Sports Institute (ASI). The coach was on a break in Aizawl and during a morning walk saw a small, old gym, which was not in good shape. Curious to know who used the gym, he walked in to find a young Jeremy sitting on the floor listening very carefully to his trainer’s instructions. Zarzokima was so impressed, he contacted the weightlifter’s parents and asked them to enroll him in the Boys Sports Company, a programme for promising young athletes jointly run by the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Army. And soon, a 10-year-old Jeremy found himself standing face-to-face with his new coach at ASI, Pune.
Sharing why he chose weightlifting, the Global Indian told Sportstar Magazine, “I thought it would be fun. It seemed like something men should do. I didn’t know anything before I came to Pune. I only spoke Mizo. I couldn’t even speak to anyone.”
Jeremy with his childhood coach Malsawma Khiangte after winning Youth Olympics 2018
Slowly, the trainers in Pune groomed the young boy into a champion, who was ready to represent the country internationally. And when his moment came, Jeremy didn’t disappoint. In 2016 he won silver in the 56 kg division at the World Youth Championships, another silver at the 2017 World Youth Championships, followed by a silver and a bronze at the 2018 Asian Youth Championships, and then finally, the historic Youth Olympics gold in Buenos Aires, 2018.
Rising and shining
Soon after the Youth Olympics, the weightlifter was selected by the committee to represent the country at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships. Although he finished in 21st rank at the Men’s 67 kg event, the youngster didn’t lose heart and dedicated himself to training for the Tokyo Olympics. Despite all his efforts, destiny had other plans. In early 2021, a cyst in the back of the knee needed surgery. He returned without a medal from the 2021 Asian Championships and the Junior World Championships, and couldn’t qualify for the Tokyo Olympics either.
Jeremy with other CWG medalists
As the weightlifter was still recovering, another challenge hit him hard. While attempting a deadlift at training in February this year, Jeremy felt a sharp streak of pain along his spine. It was diagnosed that he had a bulged spinal disc. And this could mean that the champion would have to sit out during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. “It was a little disappointing because I had to completely stop training for a month. I only did therapy work and strengthening. It was very frustrating,” Jeremy said, during an interview.
But, he had a very unique way to help him recover. The weightlifter downloaded the image of the CWG medal on his phone and made it his wallpaper. During the recovery and therapy sessions, whenever he would have a moment of self-doubt, Jeremy would take out his phone to look at the glorious medal he would get if he survived the painful sessions.
“Injuries are difficult. But the hardest thing is staying away from my family. I’ve been training away from them since I was nine. The last time I went home was in July 2020. I’ve not attended my brothers’ weddings, and I’ve not celebrated Christmas at home since 2017. I miss being with my mom. I am now used to eating North Indian food. I’ve adapted so I can live anywhere. But I always think about eating my mother’s food. I miss eating her pork curry and the boiled vegetables,” he informed Sports Star.
Training hard for the upcoming championships, Jeremy feels that it’s time to change his phone’s wallpaper. “It’s going to be the Olympic rings,” the weightlifter shared.
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