A Golden Birthday: Lovlina Turns Asian Games Silver Into Gold at 29

Lovlina Borgohain had told her family what she wanted: a change in the colour of her Asian Games medal.

On her 29th birthday, she delivered it.

The Indian boxer defeated China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women’s 75kg final at Aichi-Nagoya on Friday, turning her silver from Hangzhou into a maiden Asian Games gold. Patient under pressure and precise with her counters, Lovlina secured a unanimous verdict to add another major title to her career.

Back home in Assam’s Golaghat district, her father Tiken Borgohain spoke of the work behind the birthday celebration.

“She has worked incredibly hard. She had spoken about winning this gold. She had previously won a silver medal and wanted to change its colour. So seeing that color change now feels wonderful,” he told ANI.

Bao Attacked. Lovlina Found Her Openings.

The final began with Bao pushing forward and throwing combinations. Lovlina resisted the urge to trade recklessly, responding with effective counter-punches to edge the opening round 3-2 on the judges’ assessments.

The Chinese boxer kept pressing in the second round, but Lovlina’s cleaner punches began to give her greater control. She took that round 4-1, strengthening her position heading into the final three minutes.

With gold within reach, the Indian stayed with the approach that had brought her this far. She let Bao advance, avoided taking heavy damage and picked her moments to counter.

All five judges favoured Lovlina in the final round. The bout ended in a 5-0 unanimous decision.

A Close Semifinal, an Emphatic Finish

The route to the title had included a much tighter contest.

Lovlina beat Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova 3-2 in a split-decision semifinal, becoming the first Indian woman boxer to reach consecutive Asian Games finals.

In Hangzhou, she had finished with silver in the same weight category. This time, she completed the final step.

“We are absolutely delighted and overjoyed because she won the final today. Today also happens to be her birthday. This is her first Asian Games gold medal,” Tiken said.

He also thanked those who had supported his daughter.

“So many people prayed for this, and I am deeply grateful to everyone,” he said.

Another Major Title for the Assam Boxer

Born on October 2, 1997, Lovlina has built a medal collection spanning the Olympics, World Championships and major continental competitions.

She won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, became the women’s 75kg world champion in 2023 and claimed Asian Championships gold in 2022. Earlier this year, she took silver at the Commonwealth Games.

Her achievements earned her the Arjuna Award in 2020 and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021.

Friday’s victory took India’s medal tally at Aichi-Nagoya to 70: 12 gold, 24 silver and 34 bronze.

For Lovlina and her family, the milestone was more personal. The silver she had wanted to improve upon was now gold—and the date belonged to her twice over.

With inputs from ANI