Tokyo: Lovlina Borgohain, the youngest of three daughters of Tiken Borghain and Mamoni Borgohain from Assam's Baromukhia village, was first spotted by a boxing coach from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in 2012 when she used to be a Muay Thai practitioner.
Borgohain, after being selected to get training at SAI's training institute, Guwahati, her switch from Muay Thai to boxing goes evenly, the witness to which are her bronze medals at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships and to present winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Inspite of losing to Turkish boxer Busenaz Surmeneli in the semifinals of the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, Borgohain has inscribed her name in the hearts of the Indians as she is the only Indian boxer and the third overall to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Earlier, women pugilist MC Mary Kom won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, while Vijendra Singh earned a bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008.
23-year old prestigious Arjuna Award recipient first came into highlight when she won the welterweight gold at the 2018 India Open, which leads her selection for the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
In spite of being knocked out in the quarters at the Commonwealth Games, the invincible women pugilist secured a bronze medal on her debut appearance at the AIBA World Championships held in New Delhi in 2018.
In 2019, Assam's daughter Borgohain claimed a bronze medal in the World Championship, held in Ulan-Ude, Russia, also earned two bronze medals in Asian Championships, having reached the competition's semifinals in 2017 and 2021.
The women's pugilist preparation paused for a time after she was hospitalized for covid-19 in 2020, just before she was about to leave for Italy for a training and competition camp. Earlier this year, she had to accompany her mother after she suffered kidney complications resulting in a transplant.
In Tokyo Olympics, she was qualified to round 16 without competing, where she defeated Germany's Nandine Apetz in a closely fought bout. In the quarterfinals, Borgohain defeated Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-chin and secured the bronze for India before she competes in the semis against 2019 World Championships gold medalist Busenaz Surmeneli on Wednesday.
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