Boxing sensation Lovlina Borgohain created history by winning a gold medal and completing her Asian Games campaign with the glory she had been chasing
for a long time. The Indian boxer defeated China’s Bao Ziyi in the women’s 75kg final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to win her maiden Asian Games gold. The triumph ended a 12-year wait for India in women’s boxing, with Lovlina becoming only the second Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold after Mary Kom’s historic 51kg victory in 2014. Lovlina came into the final after a thrilling win over Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova in a 3-2 semifinal. Against Bao, the Chinese Asian Elite Championships gold medallist, Lovlina had to withstand an aggressive challenge, particularly in the second round, before doing enough to secure the biggest Asian Games title of her career.
Lovlina Stuns China’s Bao Ziyi
In the first round, the Chinese fighter launched a barrage of blows and got off to a fast start, but Lovlina was patient and countered well. She won the round 3-2. In the second round, Lovlina gained confidence and delivered the cleaner blows, but Bao got crushed under the pressure. On the judges' scorecards, she led 2-0 after winning the round 4-1.
With the gold close at hand, Lovlina stuck to her plan in the third round, letting Bao advance while avoiding significant damage and looking for counterattack possibilities. The Indian was unanimously given the round as she completed a 5-0 victory and won the Asian Games gold.
