‘I gifted myself a gold medal’: Lovlina Borgohain’s birthday comeback after Paris heartbreak

Assam boxer Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday in the most memorable fashion, winning her maiden Asian Games gold medal and describing the triumph as a gift to herself after a difficult period following the Paris Olympics.

Lovlina defeated China’s Bao Ziyi by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the women’s 75kg final on Friday to become only the second Indian woman boxer after MC Mary Kom to win an Asian Games gold.

“I am feeling very good. Today is my birthday and I am gifting myself a gold medal on my birthday. This is a very big thing for me,” Lovlina said after her victory.

The boxer from Assam said her approach to competition had changed significantly. Instead of worrying about the result, she focused on performing to the best of her ability.

“I just thought that I have to live my game. I have to give my 100 per cent. After that, the result will be good,” she said.

Lovlina also opened up about the difficult phase she went through after the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she missed out on a medal.

“After 2024 Paris, I was very sad. I did not feel like it. At that time, life was very hard,” she said.

She said she then decided to rebuild herself from the basics.

“After that, I continued again. I started from the starting that I have to start again from the basics,” Lovlina said.

The comeback culminated in her first Asian Games gold, improving on the silver she won at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. Her victory also ended India's 12-year wait for a women's boxing gold at the Asian Games.

For Lovlina, the gold in Aichi-Nagoya was not just another medal but a personal milestone that came on a day she will remember for the rest of her career.