From Aizawl to Birmingham CWG: Jeremy Lalrinnunga has never had it easy.

Jeremy Lalrinnunga has never had it easy.It is said that parents should not force their dreams on their children. But what if parents simply told their children to reflect on the dreams they had growing up and let them chart their own path?
Heading into the Commonwealth Games, India was certain of a gold, if not a medal, from a few athletes: Manipur’s Meera Bai Chanu was one of them. And true to the champion, Chinnu delivered the gold. Apart from those who follow Indian weightlifters closely, some give Mizoram’s Jeremy Lalarninga a chance. He had form and pedigree coming, but few expected the 19-year-old to blow away the competition. And this, while struggling with back and knee injuries. After each lift, Jeremy would collapse, almost scream in pain, and then smile on his face as he thanked everyone in the audience. But he did not give up.
It may have shocked the world, but what does that weigh against a lifetime of responsibilities and sometimes extreme poverty?

To understand the story of Jeremy Lalrunanga, now India’s gold medalist and record breaker, we have to start with the story of his father Lalnihatlunga.
Lalneihtluanga: Good for citizens, but a dream not fulfilled

Lalneihtluanga wanted to become a professional boxer after watching Zoramathanga win India’s first bronze medal at the Boxing World Cup in Mumbai in 1990. He started training at the age of eight. Her hard work paid off, and she competed in national-level competitions in Kolkata and Visakhapatnam between 1990 and 1998, winning more than five gold medals.
Lalneihtluanga had a dream: to represent the country and wear the Indian jersey in international competition.

Unfortunately, he could not get it.
However, he refused to give up. As he started a family, Lalneihtluanga became the father of five sons and made up his mind that he would train his children to fulfill this dream.

All his sons started training at an early age. But here’s how Lalneihtluanga was different from other parents accused of forcing their children to pursue the dreams they had in their youth: Lalneihtluanga only wanted his children to be athletes. Had.

It gave them the freedom to choose the sports discipline of their interest.

Among his children, his second son, Jeremy Lalrunanga, showed talent from an early age. “I boxed him
Jeremy: A brilliant talent who never knew when to give up.

Jeremy Lalrinnunga started training in 2011 at the Weightlifting Academy States Sports Coaching Center Aionon, Aizawl. In 2012, Jeremy was sent to the Army Sports Institute for training. He then joined Boys Sports Company at ASI in Pune city and started specialized training in weightlifting. Jeremy showed great tenacity and determination from a young age, and Lalanihitluanga believes that this led to him winning the gold medal in Birmingham. “In 2012, he came home from his training institute for a short break. We didn’t have the money to send him back,” he narrates an example.
“I will not let my brothers suffer”

“When Jeremy was a little boy, we were quite poor. He would pretend to fall asleep on the bus to school so he could save his bus fare for the next day. When he was with his brothers in the neighborhood I would go to other kids’ houses and they would stand all day and watch other kids play on their computers. This is still etched in his memory to this day. He always says, ‘I don’t want my brothers to suffer like I did. arrived’, and he has made it his mission to provide for his every need with everything he has,” Jeremy’s mother, Llamwan Pui Ralte, told Voice of seven sisters.
In 2019, Jeremy bought two cars for his uncle and his older brother so that they could earn a living by working as taxi drivers. He brought a bike for himself in Pune in 2019, but decided his brother would need it more, sent it home. He has bought two bikes, a Yamaha R15 V3 and a Yamaha R15 V1 for his two brothers as they cycle in their training grounds. He also gifted his brother a computer.
The 19-year-old Jeremy Lalrinnunga remembers people cheering for him when he took a tumble after landing a clean and jerk. He told a reporter from Vanglini, “When I fell, I felt so bad that tears started flowing. I missed my family and people back home. I knew they had high hopes for me, and I felt very discouraged, thinking that I would not take home a medal for them. But during this difficult time, I felt the power of people’s prayers for me and witnessed the moving power of God. “