India’s Lovlina Borgohain, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, saw her hopes of a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics dashed on Sunday. She was defeated by China’s Li Qian in a hard-fought quarterfinal bout in the women’s 75kg category. The match went down to the wire, with a close 4-1 split decision in favor of Qian.
Lovlina put up a strong fight, pushing Qian all the way. The first round saw Qian take a narrow 3-2 lead on a split decision. The second round mirrored the first, with Qian again securing a 3-2 victory. Lovlina, however, showed her resilience, narrowing the gap in the third round, where four of the five judges awarded the same score.
Despite Lovlina’s valiant effort, Qian managed to consolidate in the final three minutes, ultimately securing a 4-1 decision to book her place in the semifinals. Lovlina’s exit marks the end of India’s boxing campaign at the Paris Olympics without a medal. She had previously defeated Sunniva Hofstad of Norway in the round of 16 to reach the quarterfinal stage.
