Who Is Lovlina Borgohain? Olympic-Medallist Boxer Set To Shine Again In Paris

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain is aiming to outdo herself and clinch a gold medal at the Paris Games. The 26-year-old boxing champion is set to pose a tough challenge to Norway's Sunniva Hofstad in the Round of 16 on July 31. In 2020, Borgohain made history as the first female athlete and the second boxer from Assam to make it to the Olympics. The Arjuna Awardee won gold medals at the 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships and the 2022 Asian Boxing Championships. 

How Did Lovlina Borgohain Start Out?

Borgohain started out as a kickboxer before Sports Authority of India's Padum Boro, while scouting for talent in Assam's Golaghat district, discovered her talent. He inspired her to take up boxing and she won a bronze medal in her debut world championship in 2018, following it up with another bronze the next year. She has been undergoing training for months to become India's top-most medal contender this year at the Games. She became the first woman pugilist from Assam to qualify for the Olympics. 

In 2019, the aggressive boxer said in an interview with SheThePeople that in her family her father is a huge supporter of pursuing sports. She noted that her dream of winning Olympic gold was getting stronger every day and even though the injury brings her down sometimes, she was excited to get back to full fitness for the qualifying events. Subsequently, she finished third place at the Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympics qualifiers, defeating Maftunakhon Melieva of Uzbekistan in April this year.

Golaghat to Tokyo

Speaking about her early beginnings and the way forward, the aggressive boxer had 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.” 

Best wishes to ace pugilist Lovlina Borgohain as she gears up for her first bout at #ParisOlympics2024 today. Her hard work and dedication are truly inspiring. By the grace of Maa Kamakhya, may she achieve immense success and make Assam and India proud.

@LovlinaBorgohai pic.twitter.com/ojZX7uo2e1

— Sushanta Borgohain (@borgohainSBG) July 31, 2024

Borgohain was laid low by COVID-19 and missed a training trip to Europe because of it. She also sustained an injury in 2019 that put a halt to her career. “I will not rest until I win an Olympic gold. 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 SheThePeople.