Guwahati, Aug 4:
Brief
– Lovlina Borgohain has become the first person from Assam to win a medal at Olympics by winning the Bronze Medal at Tokyo Olympics
– She lost to world no. 1 Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the semi-finals
– She is the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh and Mary Kom to win an Olympic medal
Full Report
Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain settled for bronze medal in her Olympics debut at Tokyo after being defeated in the semi-final bout by the top seed Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey via unanimous decision on Wednesday.
So proud of you @LovlinaBorgohai! Congratulations on winning Olympic Bronze medal for #IND! You pushed through till the last punch!
You did North East and the entire nation proud. Well done!#Cheer4India pic.twitter.com/Rm30qZEnXf
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) August 4, 2021
Hailing from Assam’s Golaghat, Lovlina had aimed for Gold, but, though Bronze, she brings the first Olympics medal to Assam.
The reigning world champion and current World No. 1 23-year-old Busenaz Surmeneli, who also like Lovlina was in her first Olympics, had dominated the ring from the word go.
She landed firce punches right from the first round and Lovlina lost it 0:5 as all the judges gave the decision in favour of the Turkish boxer.
Lovlina was warned and a point was deducted of her total points in the second round. In the third and final round, Lovlina was outboxed by Busanez.
With a bronze medal, Lovlina became the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh and Mary Kom to win an Olympic medal.
Lovlina had a tough Round of 16 bout against Germany’s Nadine Apetz where she won via a split decision. In the quarterfinal, Lovlina punched her way into the semis with a 4:1 win over Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen.
Assam’s Hero
Back home, however, Lovlina had already become a star when she ensured a medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
Prayers were organised at various parts of Assam for her victory since Wednesday morning.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, “Congratulations to Assam’s daughter @LovlinaBorgohai for bringing home the bronze medal in #Olympics boxing. Your name will be etched in golden letters in the history of Assam. The entire nation is proud of your phenomenal achievement.”
Proud of you @LovlinaBorgohai – Assam’s daughter & India’s pride.
It’s a special day as you have scripted a rare history getting Assam an #Olympics medal for the first time ever. We cheer, celebrate and salute you.
You are our SUPER WINNER Lovlina 🎉#LovlinaBorgohain pic.twitter.com/SBhnkC5ACx
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 4, 2021
Rise to fame
Lovlina shot to popularity in 2017 after she won a bronze medal at the Asian Boxing Championships in the Women’s Welterweight category.
She followed it up with one more blockbuster at the President’s Cup held at Astana in Kazakhstan, where she finished at the third spot, but, her career’s greatest break came when she was chosen to participate in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
