Lovlina Borgohain: From kickboxing to bronze medalist at Tokyo 2020 in boxing, a peek into her achievements

Lovlina Borgohain's journey at Tokyo 2020 ended with a defeat but the nation is surely proud of the 24-year-old's valiant show, who became the second female boxer after legendary MC Mary Kom to clinch a medal at the Olympics.

Lovlina Borgohain: From kick-boxing to bronze medalist at Tokyo Olympics in boxing (Reuters)

After putting up a spirited effort, Lovlina Borgohain settled for bronze after going down in her semifinal bout against World number one Surmeneli Busenaz. The 24-year-old pugilist from Assam, who is taking part in her maiden Olympics, lost the contest after a unanimous 5-0 decision. 

While Lovlina's journey at Tokyo 2020 ended with a defeat but the nation is surely proud of the 24-year-old's valiant show, who became the second female boxer after legendary MC Mary Kom to clinch a medal at the Olympics. 

Bronze for #IND!

Lovlina Borgohain earns a bronze medal in the women's #Boxing welterweight category!@WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/lmIj0mvxuj — Olympics (@Olympics) August 4, 2021

Earlier in the competition the welterweight boxer defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nein-Chin Chen after a dominating show to storm into the semifinals and assure India at least a bronze from her category at the Tokyo Olympics.   

Introduction to combat sports 

Lovlina started her journey in combat sports after a brief stint as a kick-boxer, focusing on Muay Thai. However, the Olympic champion had earlier stated that her experience in kick-boxing has not had a major impact in her success in boxing.  

“That was just for a year. It helped when I started boxing but at this stage, it has no contribution to my success right now,” she had said last week during a virtual press meet from Tokyo. 

Well fought @LovlinaBorgohai! Her success in the boxing ring inspires several Indians. Her tenacity and determination are admirable. Congratulations to her on winning the Bronze. Best wishes for her future endeavours. #Tokyo2020 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 4, 2021

Lovlina's first step in boxing ring

It was only when she met her first coach Padum Boro, her life took a definite turn. Boro, who worked at Sports Authority of India’s Shillong and Dimapur centers, introduced her to boxing and since then there has been no looking back for Lovlina. 

Having found her love in boxing, Lovlina was always on the lookout for an opportunity. And it came within a few months. SAI was holding the trials at Barpathar Girls High School, where she studied, and Lovlina showed her skills when she took part in the trials. That’s how Boro noticed her exceptional talent and started honing it from 2012. 

Cut to 2018, the 20-year-old has represented India at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. She was selected for the prestigious event on the back of some brilliant performances in recent months — gold at India Open, bronze at Asian Championships in Vietnam and bronze at President’s Cup in Astana.  

The boxer from Assam ensured a Bronze medal for herself in her maiden appearance at the World Championship which took place in India for the very first time in November, 2018. She also won a gold medal at the 3rd Elite Women’s Nationals in Vijayanagar.

In 2019, she won another bronze medal in the World Championships in Russia and in 2020, became the first Women boxer from Assam to qualify for Olympics. She also got the prestigious Arjuna Award last year. 

Lovlina Borgohain Achievements: 

2021:Bronze at Asian Championships, Dubai

2020: Bronze at Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifier, Jordan

2019: Bronze at World Championships, Russia

2019: Gold at Umakhanov Memorial International Boxing Tournament, Russia

2019: Silver at India Open, Guwahati

2019: 70th Strandja Elite Women Boxing Championships, Sofia, Bulgaria: Bronze

2019: 3rd Women’s National Championship, Vijaynagar: Gold

2018: 20th AIBA Women’s World Championship, Delhi: Bronze

2018: Ulaanbaatar Cup, International Boxing Championship, Mongolia: Silver

2018: Indian Women’s Senior National Championships, Rohtak: Silver

2018: Indian Open Boxing Tournament, New Delhi: Gold

2017: President’s Cup tournament in Astana: Bronze

2017: Asian Boxing Championships, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Bronze

2015: Nations Women’s Youth Cup (Subotica, Serbia): Silver

2014: Golden Gloves of Vojvodina Youth Memorial Tournament (Subotica, Serbia): Bronze

2014: Nations Women’s Youth Cup (Vrbas, Serbia): Bronze

2013: Nations Women’s Junior Cup (Zrenjanin, Serbia): Silver

2012: Indian Women’s Junior National Championships: Gold

India’s previous boxing medals have come through Vijender Singh (2008) and M C Mary Kom (2012). Both of them had won bronze medals.   

- with inputs from Devadyuti Das