Lovlina Borgohain semi-final today: Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) attempted to create history in Indian boxing today. While the 23-year-old has assured herself and India of at least a bronze medal at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she was aiming for gold. The young champion from Assam however went down fighting reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the Olympic semifinals on Wednesday (August 4). With this, Borgohain's surreal Olympic run comes to an end with a podium finish.
The Golaghat native, who started her career as a Muay Thai practitioner, has braved severe injuries to stand where she is today. Borgohain has been undergoing training for months to become represent India this year at the Olympics. She became the first woman boxer from Assam to qualify for Tokyo after finishing third place at the Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympics qualifiers, defeating Maftunakhon Melieva of Uzbekistan in April this year.
The boxer had seemed pretty confident about her path ahead after the semifinal win over former world champion Nien-Chin Chen on the Chinese Taipei. "Medal to bas gold hota hai, let me get that first," she had said after the historic triumph. The two-time bronze World and two-time Asian bronze champion, Borgohain became only the second Indian female boxer and third overall to ensure a podium finish at the showpiece after, Vijender Singh in 2008 and the legendary Mary Kom in 2012.
The much aggressive Surmeneli is also 23 and has collected two gold medals this year internationally. All that Borgohain needs in terms of strategy has been conveyed to her and she is ready to punch, her national coach Mohammed Ali Qamar told PTI. He further added that Borgohain and Surmeneli have never faced each other before, so it is unchartered territory for both of them.
Muay Thai practitioner to Boxing and how
Borgohain has never shied away from admitting that she hasn't been the most fearless boxer in her four-year-long career since she won a bronze medal in her debut world championship in 2018. However, following several mind exercises and meditation, she has found the self-belief that is needed for a big stage like the Olympics. Two years ago, in an interview with SheThePeople, she said that her father is a huge supporter of pursuing sports.
“I will not rest until I win an Olympic gold.”
Borgohain also spoke about her early beginnings and the way forward and confessed, “I come from a lower-middle-class family, that belongs to Assam’s Golaghat. From an early age, my twin sisters and I were taught to be strong in order to pursue our dreams or to be successful in life. My mother is a very strong woman and despite having a poor economic condition she never let us suffer in any situation. My sisters are well-trained in martial arts and seeing them I also got interested in doing so.” More here.
“No matter what the universe has planned for me, the fact that I still am strong after the injury gives me hope to do much better and greater,” she told us in 2019 after sustaining an injury.
Match update:
With an aim to change the colour of her assured medal, Lovlina Borgohain rained punches on Surmeneli in the semi-final of 69 kg at Tokyo Olympics 2020. However, the experienced boxer from Turkey takes the first round 5-0. The Indian pugilist started brilliantly but in the final moments of that round, her Turkish opponent came up with a flurry of punches. In the last 30 seconds, she went through the gears and rattled the 23-year-old Assamese boxer. Borgohain loses first round 0-5.
In the second round, Borgohain threw some aggressive punches towards her Turkish opponent but things went down for the Indian. The Turkish top seed takes the second round yet again 0-5. Borgohain was looking tired but fought bravely throughout.
Lovlina Borgohain settles for bronze medal.
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