Assuring herself a place in the semi-finals of women’s welterweight a the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, Assam’s first Olympic representative Lovlina Borghain became only the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom, to win a medal at the grandest stage of them all, and she is not done yet. On August 4, Borgohain will eye a spot in the final facing off against top seed Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey. Irrespective of the result, Borgohain has done India proud and after Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal on Day 1 of the competition, India has something to cheer about. India’s last three Olympic medals have now been won by women competitors.
Here’s everything you need to know about India’s latest Olymoic medallist
Muay Thai and Early Days
Born in the Golaghat district of Assam on October 2, 1997, Borgohain drew inspiration from her elder twin sisters Licha and Lima, both of whom pursued kickboxing at the national level. Lovlina took up Muay Thai at the age of 13, later switching to boxing. While her father is an owner of a small local business, her mother is a house maker. It was during a Sports Authority of India (SAI) trials at her primary school, Barpathar Girls High School, that she was spotted by renowned Indian boxing coach Padum Boro, Boro, started coaching her in 2012 and She later started working with India’s chief women’s boxing coach Shiv Singh.
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Coming into the spotlight
In 2017, at the President’s Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan, she won the bronze medal, and later that same year, she added another bronze to her kitty at the Asian Boxing Championships held in Vietnam. A gold medal followed at the India Open 2018, and that led her to represent India at 2018 Commonwealth Games. She lost the quarters. She went on to the win bronze medal in both the 2018 and 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships held in Ulan-Ude, Russia and also clinched the silver medal at the Ulaanbaatar Cup in Mongolia and won the bronze at the 13th International Silesian Championship in Poland.
Tokyo Qualification
In the women’s 69kg category, the pugilist from Assam triumphed in the final of the BFI trials in New Delhi held to determine the contingent for Tokyo Olympics qualifiers, defeating beating Lalita 10-0 by unanimous verdict. She sealed her spot in the Olympics by beating Uzbekistan’s Maftunakhon Melieva in the quarterfinals of the Asian Olympic qualifiers. She fell in the semi-finals to Gu Hong of China to end up with a bronze at the event but had achieved the goal that she had in mind when flying to Jordan.
Overcoming Covid, Former Kickboxer Lovlina Borgohain Fights Her Way to Olympics Glory
Meditation
In a chat with the Olympic Channel, she revealed why she took up meditation. After the loss in CWG 2018, Borgohain decided to concentrate on mental toughness. “Only after that (CWG loss) did I realize that physical prowess was not all that mattered. Playing a big tournament brings with it a lot of stress and I became aware of the psychological aspects of the sport. I took to meditation to improve my psyche and it also helped me strategize in between bouts. I started performing better after that.”
Lovlina Borgohain Assures India Medal in Boxing, Books Place in Welterweight Semis
Covid-19
However, it was not easy going by any chance for Borgohain contracted Covid-19 last year and had to miss the trip to Europe for a 52-day training-cum-competition trip as part of a 28-member Indian contingent, including 16 boxers in November 2020. “Lovlina Borgohain had traveled to Assam to attend to her ailing mother at home and come back to Delhi before flying to Italy. Borgohain’s first COVID-19 test was conducted on October 11 when she returned from her 11-day-long trip to Guwahati. The result was negative. However, when the boxer was tested again on October 15 before boarding the flight to Italy, it returned positive. The Indian boxer was already self-isolating after coming back from Assam according to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Lovlina is under medical observation now, according to the Sports Authority of India”, reported the Olympic Channel.
Major Achievements
World Championships
Bronze medal – Welterweight, 2018 New Delhi
Bronze medal – Welterweight, 2019 Ulan-Ude
Asian Championships
Bronze medal – Welterweight, 2017 Ho Chi Minh City
Bronze medal – Welterweight, 2021 Dubai
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