Two Commonwealth Games. No Medal. Now Lovlina Borgohain Believes Gold Is Within Reach

For two Commonwealth Games in a row, Lovlina Borgohain left without a medal.

At Gold Coast in 2018, her campaign ended in the quarter-finals. At Birmingham in 2022, it was over in the very first bout. Every time she stepped into a Commonwealth Games ring, she walked away wondering what could have been.

In Glasgow, that story finally changed. Without throwing a punch, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist secured what had eluded her for eight long years—a Commonwealth Games medal. A direct entry into the semi-finals of the women's 75kg boxing event has guaranteed Lovlina at least a bronze, making it the first Commonwealth Games medal of her career.

Even she didn't see it coming. "This is shocking news for me too," Lovlina admitted after learning she had advanced straight to the medal stage. She recalled the grind of her previous campaigns, where every step towards the podium had demanded multiple hard-fought victories, only for the dream to slip away.

For Lovlina, the moment wasn't about luck. It felt like justice. "It's probably a blessing that I'm finally getting the reward for all my hard work in these Commonwealth Games," she said.

But she isn't travelling to Glasgow simply to end a medal drought. She believes this could finally be her Games. "I can win gold this time," she said with quiet confidence.

The 28-year-old will face Taafaki in the semi-finals on July 31, with a place in the final at stake. Win that bout, and she will move one step closer to adding a Commonwealth Games gold to an already glittering career that includes an Olympic bronze medal, a World Championship title and an Asian Games medal.

Whenever the colour of her medal is decided, one chapter has already closed. The only major multi-sport event where Lovlina had never reached the podium will no longer remain blank. After years of disappointment, persistence and near misses, the Commonwealth Games has finally given her something it never had before: A medal. Now she wants to turn it into gold.

(With inputs from ANI)