After a career-ending spinal injury in 2012, Chhote Lal Yadav turned to coaching, orchestrating the resurgence of M.C. Mary Kom and moulding world champion Jaismine Lamboria to earn the prestigious Dronacharya Award.
A back and spinal injury in 2012 abruptly ended Chhote Lal Yadav's ambition of competing at the Olympics as a boxer. However, that setback paved the way for a remarkable coaching career that has now earned him the prestigious Dronacharya Award. From extending the career of legendary champion M.C. Mary Kom to transforming Jaismine Lamboria into a world champion, Yadav has built his reputation on personalised, adaptable training.
Yadav was part of India's national setup as a fighter from 2001 to 2012 across sub-junior, junior, and senior levels. Following his injury, his first foray into coaching came in 2012 when he assisted Mary Kom for a brief 15 to 20 days. He subsequently completed his coaching diploma at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, in 2014, before officially joining Mary Kom full-time in 2017.
Addressing the unique challenge of keeping an established five-time World champion and Olympic medallist at the top, Yadav introduced tailored "smart training" routines designed around age and physical capacity. The approach yielded immediate success: Mary Kom won the 2017 Asian Championships, followed by Commonwealth Games gold, a World Championship title, and qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.
After serving as a national camp coach from 2017 to 2022, Yadav shifted to spearhead the Army's women's boxing programme. He recruited boxers Jaismine Lamboria, Sakshi Chaudhary, and Arundhati Choudhary. His stint at the Army programme quickly paid off as Sakshi and Arundhati captured Commonwealth Games gold medals, while Jaismine rebounded from missing the Paris Olympics to claim a World Championship title under his guidance.
Highlighting his coaching style, Jaismine credited Yadav for altering her game through strength and technical training, while praising his open-minded approach to consulting outside experts when necessary. Despite receiving national honors, Yadav remains set on his next major milestone, stating his target is for his boxers to win two to three gold medals at the LA Olympics.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.