Golaghat (Assam) [India], October 2 (ANI): Veteran Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain’s father Tiken Borgohain was overjoyed after his daughter clinched her maiden Asian Games gold medal on her twenty ninth birthday, saying the champion had labored tirelessly to vary the color of the silver she gained on the earlier version.
Lovlina defeated China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 within the ladies’s 75kg remaining on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday to have fun her birthday with the continental title.
Speaking after her triumph, Tiken stated the household was delighted to see Lovlina’s onerous work and willpower culminate in gold.
‘We are completely delighted and overjoyed as a result of she gained the ultimate at present. Today additionally occurs to be her birthday. This is her first Asian Games gold medal. She has labored extremely onerous. She had spoken about successful this gold. She had beforehand gained a silver medal and wished to vary its color. So seeing that shade change now feels fantastic. I’m very blissful, and on her behalf, I wish to thank all my fellow countrymen. So many individuals prayed for this, and I’m deeply grateful to everybody,’ Lovlina’s father informed ANI.
Lovlina, who had gained silver within the 75kg class on the Hangzhou Asian Games, produced a composed efficiency towards Bao within the remaining.
The Chinese boxer began aggressively and threw a flurry of punches within the opening spherical, however Lovlina stayed affected person and landed efficient counter punches to edge the spherical 3-2.
Bao continued to press within the second spherical, however Lovlina appeared extra assured and landed the cleaner punches. She took the spherical 4-1 to ascertain a 2-0 lead.
The Indian maintained her technique within the remaining spherical, permitting Bao to come back ahead whereas searching for counter-punching alternatives. She was awarded the spherical unanimously to finish a 5-0 victory.
The gold capped a powerful marketing campaign for Lovlina, who had earlier defeated Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova 3-2 in a break up determination within the semifinal. The victory made her the primary Indian girl boxer to achieve consecutive Asian Games finals.
Born on October 2, 1997, in Assam’s Golaghat district, Lovlina has additionally gained a bronze medal on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and have become world champion within the ladies’s 75kg class in 2023.
She had earlier gained gold on the 2022 Asian Championships and silver on the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Her achievements have additionally earned her the Arjuna Award in 2020 and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021.
Lovlina’s gold took India’s medal tally on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to 70, together with 12 gold, 24 silver and 34 bronze. (ANI)