Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain wins bronze after losing in semis to world champion

I want to win gold,” Lovlina told Times of India after her qualification. In 2019, she won another bronze medal at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Lovlina’s big break came in 2018 when she bagged bronze at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.

Lovlina becomes the first ever from Assam to win an Olympic medal. She beat NC Chen of Chinese Taipei in the 69kg weight category by 4-1. Lovlina is still an emerging name in the world of boxing but at 23, but she stands a chance of surpassing greats like Mary Kom and Vijender Singh by becoming the first boxer to reach an Olympic final. She had a tough draw facing World No 5 Nadine Apetz of Germany in the Round of 16. She emerged victorious from a tough bout against the German winning by a split 3-2 verdict.

Lovlina had defeated highly-accomplished opponents in her two previous rounds. Chen was a former world champion, while round of 16 opponent Nadine Apetz is also a two-time medalist at the Worlds, winning bronze in 2016 and 2018. •She represented India at the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship, held in New Delhi, for the first time. She went on to win the bronze medal in Welterweight(69 kg) category. Lovlina Borgohain has won the bronze medal after going down 0-5 against Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli in the 69kg welterweight semifinals on August 4, 2021.

When did Lovlina Borgohain pick up boxing?

Even if I lost any competition, I’d remind myself that the Olympics is where I’d perform—and to be able to have done that took all my stress away,” says Borgohain, a two-time World Championships bronze medal winner. Lovlina, a two-time World Championship bronze medallist, displayed tremendous calm in the face of a plucky opponent who had beaten her in the semifinals of the 2018 World Championships en route to winning gold. The Indian was aggressive to start with and followed it up with a tremendous counter-attacking game, keeping her defence tight in the final three minutes to emerge triumphant. A silver medal at Ulaanbaatar Cup in Mongolia was the ideal preparation for the World Championship in New Delhi in 2018. She truly established her credentials with a bronze losing to eventual gold medallist Nien-Chin Chen, who she beat in Tokyo on Friday.

She asked another girl, who had lost her bout, if she could borrow her kit. Lovlina, currently the World No. 3, had earlier beaten World No. 2 Chen Nien-Chin of Chinese Taipei 4-1 in the quarterfinals to ensure herself of a medal. Turkey’s Surmeneli had won both her previous matches at this Olympics by unanimous decision and she won this match in similar fashion too.

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•She had to settle for bronze again in the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship after getting defeated in the 69 kg category semi-final. •Indian boxers Mary Kom and Vijender Singh had won the bronze medal in 2012 London Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympics respectively. •The olympic debutant had assured India of a medal by defeating world no. 2 Chen Nien-Chin of Chinese Taipei 4-1 in the quarterfinals of women’s welterweight event at Tokyo Olympics 2020. Lovlina has already proved her worth at the global arena by winning two back to back world championships in 2018 and 2019.

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• Hailing from the Golaghat district of Assam, Lovlina started as a kickboxer (like her elder twin sisters Licha and Lima Borgohain), before switching to boxing in 2012.

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• Lovlina admitted her strategy was ineffective against her Turkish opponent.

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• “Wo aaram se jeetegi, koi tension nahi hai (She will win easily, no reason to worry),” Boro told PTI on Thursday.

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• In the pre-quarterfinals, Lovlina defeated her German opponent Nadine Apetz by 3-2 in a split decision.

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• She also had to accompany her ailing mother to Kolkata earlier this year after the latter suffered kidney complications which resulted in a transplant.
• Despite so many obstacles, Borgohain, who admits she isn’t the most fearless boxer around, entered Tokyo oozing confidence, bolstered by the hope that a billion Indians were praying for her success.

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•Lovlina started her career as a kickboxer but later switched to boxing when she found the opportunity to do so. She participated in the trials that were held at her high school by the Sports Authority of India. •Lovlina Borgohain has also become the third Indian boxer to win Olympic bronze after legendary boxers Mary Kom and Vijender Singh. •She had also beaten Germany’s Nadine Apetz 3-2 in the Round of 16 by a split decision to enter the quarterfinals.

She used to train in Muay Thai at first but when SAI held a trial, she was selected for boxing. Lovlina began her boxing training at Netaji Subhas Regional centre in Guwahati in 2012. “If she fights like she did today, I am certain that she will bring home the Olympic gold,” Boro said. I enjoyed the bout, it was a fun fight, I played with freedom, without any fear,” Borgohain said. Borgohain, Tiken said, was fascinated with combat sports from a very early age, inspired by her twin elder sisters Lima and Licha, older to her by four years, who were both into Muay Thai. Back home, Lovlina’s parents—her father owns a small tea plantation—chose not to watch the quarterfinal bout live.

Just 23, and making her debut at the Games, Lovlina has achieved what only two Indian boxers – Vijender Singh and Mary Kom – have managed in the past… The hopeful villagers have witnessed the fate of the villages of Hima Das and Mary Kom additional reading change after their wins at the international level and perhaps await their own destiny. Here’s the story of her inspiring journey from the small village of Bara Mukhia in Assam’s Golaghat district. Shy, reticent and introverted, Borgohain, who moved to Guwahati at 15 to fulfil her mother’s dream of silencing those who considered girls ‘lesser’ is now the one bringing change to her village.

The lack of training was visible in the Asian Championships last month where she lost in her very first bout although the small size of the draw ensured that she still ended up with a bronze medal. Surmeneli, now one bout away from fulfilling her promise to Turkey president Tayyip Erdogan of winning Olympic gold, said she gets her aggressive approach from coach Cahit Sume – a former Olympian. Lovlina Borgohain won bronze in the women’s welterweight after losing to Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli 0-5 in the semifinal at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite being knocked out in the quarters at CWG, Borgohain ended the year on a high note as she secured a bronze medal on her debut appearance at the AIBA World Championships, held in New Delhi.