Nishio: India’s star boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Monday assured herself of a medal at the ongoing Asian Games with a strong 5-0 win in the women’s 75kg quarterfinal against Korea’s Seong Suyeon at the Nishio Gymnasium here.
Borgohain, the 2023 Hangzhou Games silver medallist, now has a second Asiad medal assured after a stellar performance in the quarterfinal of the ongoing continental showpiece.
The two started the bout with a defensive approach, but the Indian pugilist landed a few precise punches to own the opening round 5-0. Borgohain took advantage of her long reach and landed some counter punches and a few jabs well to bag the second one too.
The Indian did not take her foot off the pedal in the final round and went behind the 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist with some fierce blows in the final round, and it was a mere formality before she won the third one 5-0 to win the bout, with all judges giving 30-27 in her favour.
This was India’s fourth confirmed medal at the ongoing Asiad. Narender Berwal confirmed the third medal when he stormed into the semifinals of the men’s +90kg category after a stellar quarterfinal win over Adthapong Saengtep.
Earlier, Ankush Panghal and Parveen Hooda also confirmed medals in their respective categories. Ankush, the current Commonwealth Games champion, assured India of their first boxing medal at the ongoing Games after defeating Tajikistan’s Nekruz Salimov in the men’s 80kg quarterfinals by a unanimous decision of 5-0.
Meanwhile, Parveen also booked herself a medal in the women’s 65kg category after defeating Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova by 5-0 in the quarterfinal.
The Indian controlled the contest with a measured approach, using her reach and speed to keep Khamidova at a distance and pick her punches. The Uzbek, a 2025 World Championships silver medallist, struggled to impose herself as Parveen relied on quick combinations and counter-attacks to take the bout on all five judges’ scorecards.
(IANS)
