Lovlina Borgohain Assures India Another Asian Games Boxing Medal With 5-0 Quarterfinal Win

Lovlina Borgohain made sure of a second straight Asian Games medal on Monday, beating South Korea's Seong Suyeon by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the women's 75kg quarterfinal at Nishio, one of the venues of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Because boxing awards two bronze medals, reaching the semifinal guarantees the Assam boxer at least a place on the podium. She now has a shot at bettering the silver she won at the previous edition.

A clean start to her campaign

The quarterfinal was Lovlina's first bout of the tournament. There was little sign of rust: all five judges scored the bout in her favour.

For Lovlina, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist, the result adds another major podium to a career that has made her one of the most consistent performers in Indian boxing over the past half-decade. Her move up to the 75kg category, an Olympic weight class, has kept her among Asia's leading contenders at a heavier weight than the one in which she first made her name.

Four Indian boxers now in the last four

Lovlina's win lifts India's boxing contingent into a strong position heading into the medal rounds. She joins Parveen Hooda (65kg), Ankush Panghal (80kg) and Narender Berwal (+90kg), all of whom booked semifinal places on Sunday. That means India is already assured of four boxing medals in Aichi-Nagoya, with the colour of each still to be decided.

Boxing has been a reliable source of medals for India at the Asian Games, and the team will be hoping at least some of the four can convert into finals. The semifinals will be the first real test of that, since every boxer left in the draw has had to come through the knockout rounds.

A mixed day elsewhere for India

Lovlina's result offered some cheer on a Day 9 that had already brought a bronze for Pincky Balhara in kurash but a disappointment in shooting, where Manu Bhaker ended her Games without a medal after India finished fifth in the women's 25m pistol team event. Athletics finals and the men's cricket quarterfinal against Afghanistan were among the other events on India's schedule for the day.

What comes next

Lovlina's semifinal will decide whether she leaves Japan with bronze or fights for gold. A win would put her into her second consecutive Asian Games final and give her a chance to claim the one Asian Games title that has so far eluded her.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.