Jamuna's gold, a triumph of her mother; Assam CM to felicitate her

When Jamuna Boro bagged the 54kg gold at the India Open here, it was a moment of reckoning for her mother Nirmala who sold vegetables to fuel her daughter's boxing dreams.

Tears rolling down her eyes, Nirmala hugged her daughter who was flanked by her elder brother and sister, making it an emotional moment for the Boro family at the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium on Friday.

"It was for the first time they saw me in the ring and winning the gold medal in front of them was really special. I will cherish this forever," Jamuna, who beat Sandhyarani Devi 5-0 in the final bout, told PTI.

Jamuna's feat was also duly noticed by the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who is all set to felicitate her at his office, Boxing Federation of India chief Ajay Singh said.

"He (Sonowal) has asked for a special meeting with her and her mother in his office. He would like to felicitate her separately. These are great stories for the state and for the sport of boxing," Singh said.

"Hers is an incredible story. To come up from that background, and win medals at this stage is incredible. They are our true role models."
"Everyone's father would come on every weekends and they would ask me me where's my father. I would go speechless and cry sitting in a corner. During filling-up forms also they would ask for my father. Gradually I could overcome his absence."