‘A struggler from day one’ – Lovlina Borgohain’s father reacts after she confirms Olympic medal in boxing
Lovlina Borgohain is assured of a medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Lovlina Borgohain won her women’s welterweight quarterfinals at Tokyo 2020 against Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-Chin 4-1 to secure India’s second medal at the ongoing Olympics.
She has qualified for the semi-finals which assures her of a bronze medal and should she win in her next bout against Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli, who won gold at the 2019 World Championships, the colour of the metal could change for good.
Weight-lifter Mirabai Chanu opened India's account at Tokyo 2020 with a silver in the 49kg category and now Lovlina has guaranteed the addition of another medal to that tally.
Tiken Borgohain, Lovlina’s father, expressed his happiness at his daughter becoming only the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics. He praised for her struggles that have finally paid off.
He also revealed that Lovlina had trained in Muay Thai (a Thai boxing form) which helped her excel as a pugilist.
“I am extremely happy. All her struggles paid off today. She has been a struggler from day one. Since she was 10, she has been training under a Muay Thai coach Prashant Das. She was trained in Muay Thai. Then she went for a SAI (Sports Authority of India) boxing trial in Golaghat. There she was picked up by Shri Padum Boro,” her father spoke exclusively to Olympics.com.
He mentioned that Lovlina began to take boxing seriously as a sport only after winning gold medal at the National sub-junior games. Thereafter, he asked his daughter to start preparing to qualify for the Olympics and look to clinch the elusive gold medal.
“But the real turning point in her life came in national sub-junior games that was held in Kolkata. She won gold there. After that she became really serious. Then I told her that you must qualify for the Olympics and aim for gold. She prepared (for) that well,” he reminisced.
Borgohain senior also said that behind Lovlina's success, there are years of hard work and dedication to the sport.
“I supported her in whatever little way I could. From a very early age she used to wake up at 5 am and then I would take her to train with Prashanta Das.
“He started coaching her and then everything happened one after another,” said a proud father as the Borgohain family began to celebrate Lovlina’s achievement.
Lovlina will next be in action in the semifinals on August 4. And she will hope to go at least one step further.