Olympics 2021: 3 talking points as Lovlina Borgohain beats Nadine Apetz to enter 69 kg quarterfinals

Two-time World Championships bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain kept alive medal hopes of the Indian boxing contingent as she entered the quarterfinals of the 69 kg at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 on Tuesday. The 23-year-old edged her fellow two-time World Championships bronze medalist Nadine Apetz of Germany 3-2 at the Kokugikan Arena.

With Lovlina Borgohain shining on her Olympic debut, here are three talking points from her win.

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#1 Lovlina Borgohain unleashed her fury after a slow start

Lovlina Borgohain made a slow start as she took time to gauge her opponent. In fact, the Indian remained more on the quiet side for the most part of the first round and chose her moments wisely to bring up her jabs.

With the judges splitting the points in favor of the Indian, the Assamese came storming out of the blocks in the second round with double energy and motivation.

With a proactive attitude, Lovlina Borgohain began unleashing a furious combination of her right and left hand jabs. The intensity proved to be too much for the German to handle as Apetz struggled to evade the onslaught. Her efforts to dodge and block the Indian later on didn't prove to be too successful as Lovlina looked to be gaining in confidence as the round progressed.

The aggression from the 23-year-old impressed the judges and the second round too went in the Indian's kitty by a split decision.

#2 Lovlina played it safe in the final round

𝗙𝗔𝗕𝗨𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗦 🤩What a debut for @LovlinaBorgohai at #Olympics she defeats 🇩🇪's N Apetz 3-2 and advances to quarters, 1 step away from securing medal in 69 kg category at @Tokyo2020 💪🏻#RingKeBaazigar #boxing #Tokyo2020 #Cheer4India #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/nmKug5BX0E
— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) July 27, 2021

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With the first couple of rounds in her favor, the confident Lovlina toned down her aggression and reserved her energy. The safe and smart approach worked brilliantly for the Indian.

Lovlina defended well in the final round and kept the pressure on the German by choosing her moments well enough to land her string of punches. The intelligent play didn't give Apetz any chance of a comeback as Borgohain closed out the bout with ease.

#3 Lovlina joins Mary Kom as the 2nd Indian boxer to win a round at Tokyo Olympics

The Indian boxing contingent at the Tokyo Olympics has had a disappointing few days with just one out of four boxers winning a round. That one boxer happens to be London Olympics bronze medalist Mary Kom, who remains on course for a second medal from the mega quadrennial Games.

Today Lovlina Borgohain joined the six-time world champion on the winning side to make it 2/2 from the female boxers. India's male boxers are unfortunately yet to open their campaign, with all three of Vikas Krishan, Manish Kaushik and Ashish Kumar bowing out of the Games so far.

Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule