Asian Games 2022: Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat Zareen in Indian women’s boxing team – full list
Tokyo Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain will compete in the 69kg weight class while Nikhat Zareen will be in 51kg. Get full Indian women’s boxing team for Asian Games.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain confirmed her spot in the Indian boxing team for the Asian Games 2022 after winning the 69kg weight category competition at the selection trials held on Monday.
Former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen also made the cut in the 51kg weight class. Indian ace Mary Kom competes in the same category but had ruled herself out of the Asian Games, which will be held from September 10 to 25 in Hangzhou, China.
At the selection trials held at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Lovlina Borgohain defeated Pooja while Nikhat Zareen trumped former world championships silver medallist Manju Rani.
Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen inclusion thus completes the Indian women’s boxing team for the Asian Games 2022. For women, competition will be held in five weight categories: 51kg, 57kg, 60kg, 69kg and 75kg.
Entries for the other three categories were finalised at the trials held from March 7 to 9. Selections for all 12 women’s world championships weight divisions and the three overlapping Asian Games categories (57kg, 60kg and 75kg), were held then.
Saweety Boora, a world championships silver medallist from 2014, clinched the dual spots (for Asian Games and worlds) in the 75kg while Manisha Moun and Jaismine did the same in the 57kg and 60kg, respectively. Jasmine knocked out Tokyo Olympian Simranjit Kaur to win her spot.
At last week’s trials, Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen had also secured their spots in the 52 and 70kg divisions at the world championships.
The Asian Games selection trials for all the eight men’s categories (52 kg, 57 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 75 kg, 81 kg, 91 kg, +91 kg) will be held in May.
For the Commonwealth Games, selection trials for both men and women boxers will be held in June.
Only four Indian women have won medals at the Asian Games. Mary Kom won a bronze at Guangzhou 2010 and followed up with a gold at Incheon 2014. Kavita Goyat won a bronze in 2010 while Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani both won bronze medals at the 2014 edition of the continental showpiece.
Indian women's boxing team for Asian Games 2022
Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Manisha Moun (57kg), Jaismine (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Saweety Boora (75kg)