Lovlina Borgohain becomes the first Indian female boxer to reach the finals of two Asian Games

XtraTime Web Desk

Lovlina Borgohain created history in Indian boxing by becoming the first Indian woman boxer to reach the Asian Games final twice.

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist defeated Kazakhstan’s Natalia Bogdanova in a hard-fought semifinal in the women’s 75kg category. Bogdanova, a world champion in the 70kg category, gave Lovlina a tough challenge, but the Indian boxer held her nerve to secure a place in the final.

With her victory, Lovlina will once again have a chance to fight for the Asian Games gold medal. She had won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games.

While Lovlina progressed to the final, Priya Ghanghas and Kapil Pokhariyal had to settle for bronze after losing their respective semifinal bouts.

Lovlina is the third Indian boxer to reach the final at this edition of the Asian Games. Along with her, Ankush Panghal reached the men’s 80kg final, while Parveen Hooda booked her place in the women’s 65kg final.

Priya Ghanghas, competing at the Asian Games for the first time, secured a medal on her debut. She lost her semifinal against a Chinese opponent but finished with a bronze medal.

With three more medals assured on the day, India’s total medal tally in boxing at these Asian Games has now reached six. It marks a significant improvement over the previous edition in 2022, when India won one silver and three bronze medals in boxing.

Lovlina’s historic run has now given Indian boxing another opportunity to add a gold medal to its impressive campaign.