Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain has secured a silver medal in the women’s 75kg boxing bout at the Grand Prix Usti nad Labem in the Czech Republic. She fell to China’s Li Qian in a close 2-3 split decision.
Borgohain, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and Paris Games qualifier, faced a tough opponent in Qian, a two-time Olympic medallist and three-time World Championship medalist, including a gold. The two boxers had previously met at the Asian Games last year, with Qian emerging victorious in the summit clash.
The tournament in the Czech Republic, hosted under the aegis of World Boxing, featured a round robin format with four boxers in the women’s 75kg category: Borgohain, Cindy Ngamba of the Refugee Boxing Team, Qian, and England’s Chantal Reid.
In the round robin format, Borgohain managed one win, losing two of her three bouts. She secured a hard-fought split decision win in her opening bout against England’s Reid, but ultimately fell to Ngamba and Qian.
The 26-year-old Borgohain, the sole Indian participant in the tournament, is currently preparing for a second Olympic medal. She is one of six Indian boxers who have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Joining her are Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Amit Panghal (51kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg). Borgohain, Zareen, and Pawar secured their spots in the Paris Olympics through their performance at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, while Panghal, Dev, and Lamboria earned their qualification by reaching the latter stages of the World Qualification tournament.
