GUWAHATI: Lovlina Borgohain from Assam clinched a silver medal in the women’s 75kg boxing category at the Grand Prix Usti nad Labem in the Czech Republic after a close defeat to China’s Li Qian.
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Borgohain, a bronze medallist from the Tokyo Olympics and a qualifier for the Paris Games, lost in a 2-3 split decision to the Asian Games champion. Qian, a decorated boxer with two Olympic medals and three World Championships medals including a gold, had also bested Borgohain in last year's Asian Games final.
The tournament, overseen by World Boxing, featured a round-robin competition with four participants in the women’s 75kg class: Borgohain, Cindy Ngamba of the Refugee Boxing Team, Li Qian, and Chantal Reid from England. Borgohain managed one victory out of her three bouts. She secured a hard-fought split decision win against England’s Reid in her opening match but subsequently lost to Ngamba and Qian.
At 26, Borgohain, the only Indian participant in the event, is focused on securing a second Olympic medal. She is one of six Indian boxers who have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Alongside Borgohain, the qualifiers include Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Amit Panghal (51kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg). Borgohain, Zareen, and Pawar earned their Olympic spots through their performances at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, while Panghal, Dev, and Lamboria qualified by advancing to the later rounds of the World Qualification tournament.
