Who is Lovlina Borgohain?

Lovlina Borgohain is an Indian boxer who was born on October 2, 1997 in the Golaghat district of Assam. She began her career as a kickboxer but later chose boxing as her profession. She was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2020 for her outstanding performance in boxing and became the sixth personality from Assam to win the prestigious award.

 

The 23-year-old boxer is a two-time World and Asian championship bronze-medallist. She has learnt a form of Thai martial art known as ‘Muay Thai’.

In 2020, Lovlina Borgohain secured the Olympics berth in the 69 kg category with a 5-0 win against Maftunakhon Melieva at the Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification tournament. With this victory, she ensured herself a place in the women’s welterweight category at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

 

Borgohain is the first woman athlete from the state to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, also the second boxer to represent the country after Shiva Thapa, and third overall after M C Mary Kom.

Lovlina Borgohain started her boxing career during Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) trials at her school. Gradually, she was noticed by Padum Boro who decided to coach her, and later, she started taking lessons from the chief coach of women’s boxing Shiv Singh.

 

Since 2016, Borgohain has represented India at the national and international levels. She clinched a gold medal at the first India Open International Boxing tournament and at AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.

 

She received a bronze medal at the Asian Women’s Championships in 2017 and at World Championships in 2018. Moreover, she won a silver medal at second India Open International Boxing Tournament and secured the third rank in the 69 kg welterweight category.

 

After her win at the India Open in 2018, Borgohain also participated at the Commonwealth Games (CWG), but was defeated by United Kingdom’s Sandy Ryan in the quarter finals. In 2017, she won a bronze at the Asian Boxing Championships and bronze at the President's Cup.