Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain’s medal tally continued to grow as the seasoned Indian boxer bagged a second consecutive Asian Games podium finish by storming into the women’s 75kg semifinals with a victory over South Korea’s Seong Suyeon on Monday.
Competing in her first bout of the tournament, Lovlina beat South Korea’s Seong Suyeon 5-0 in the quarterfinals, assuring herself of at least a bronze medal.
The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist had won silver at the previous edition in Hangzhou in 2023.
With the Commonwealth Games silver Lovlina won in August, the Assam boxer has now medalled at all the major events, including the World Championships, Asian Games, Asian Championships and World Cup.
Lovlina began on the front foot, using
her 1-2 combination to unsettle Seong. The Indian deployed her jab and cross, while her South Korean opponent struggled to find her range despite holding a slight height advantage.
In the second round, Lovlina continued to land clean combinations of crosses and hooks, but was vulnerable in defence as Seong threw a barrage of punches.
The closely contested third round saw Seong make better use of her height to maintain distance, but Lovlina was quicker and more agile with her movement. The Indian also landed the cleaner and more effective punches.
Lovlina will take on reigning 70kg world champion Natalya Bogdanova of Kazakhstan in the last four stage.
With the win, Lovlina joined Parveen Hooda (65kg), Ankush Panghal (80kg) and Narender Berwal (+90kg), who had all booked their places in the semifinals on Sunday, September 27.
Later in the day, Priya Ghanghas (60kg) and Kapil Pokhariya (90kg) will vie for a semifinal spot in their respective weight categories.
(More to follow)
