12 Years After Mary Kom, Lovlina Borgohain Brings Women’s Boxing Gold Back To India

Nagoya, Oct 2: Lovlina Borgohain gave herself a birthday present to remember as the Indian boxing star produced a composed performance to win the women's 75kg gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Friday.

Facing China's Bao Ziyi in the final at the Nishio Gymnasium, Lovlina maintained her composure throughout the contest to secure a 5-0 unanimous-decision victory. The triumph allowed the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist to upgrade the silver she won at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

The victory also placed Lovlina in a special chapter of Indian boxing history. She became only the second Indian woman to win an Asian Games boxing gold, following Mary Kom, who claimed the women's 51kg title at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

Lovlina's route to the final had already underlined her consistency and resilience. She began her knockout campaign with a convincing 5-0 quarterfinal victory over South Korea's Seong Suyeon before overcoming Kazakhstan's reigning world champion Natalya Bogdanova 3-2 in a closely fought semifinal.

The gold is another major addition to an already decorated career. Lovlina has previously stood on the podium at the Olympic Games, World Championships and Asian Championships, while her Asian Games journey had included a silver medal in Hangzhou.

She also entered the Nagoya competition after winning silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, making her latest achievement another significant milestone in a career filled with major international medals.

But this time, there was no silver finish.

On her birthday, Lovlina delivered gold, and in doing so, joined Mary Kom as the only other Indian woman boxing champion in Asian Games history. Her victory also took India's gold-medal tally to 12 at the 2026 Asian Games.