Boxing star and Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday in a special way by winning her maiden Asian Games gold medal.
Lovlina defeated China’s Bao Ziyi by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the women’s 75kg final to win the gold. With this victory, she became only the second Indian woman boxer after MC Mary Kom to win an Asian Games gold medal.
The win was also an important moment in Lovlina’s career as she improved her medal from silver to gold after finishing second at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Reacting to her daughter’s achievement, Lovlina’s father Tiken Borgohain said the entire family was extremely happy and proud of her.
He recalled that Lovlina had often spoken about her desire to change the colour of her medal to gold.
“We are very happy and proud as parents. I thank all the people of Assam who were praying in the namghars and temples for her. Their prayers have been answered,” he said.
Lovlina described the gold as a birthday gift to herself, especially after going through a difficult phase following the Paris Olympics.
“I am feeling very good. Today is my birthday and I am gifting myself a gold medal,” she said.
She also said that she concentrated on giving her best inside the ring instead of thinking too much about the final result.