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Lovlina Borgohain has secured India its second medal at the Olympics 2021. The 23-year-old from Assam defeated NC Chen from Chinese Taipei in a 4:1 split decision in the quarter-final bout in the women's welterweight category. With this win, India are now guaranteed at least a bronze medal in boxing.
The Indian pugilist set out to win the contest with an attacking strategy from the outset. She overpowered her opponent with her quick footwork and punches and pushed Chen on the backfoot. Having won the first two rounds, Borgohain displayed immense maturity in the final round and did not make any unnecessary advances.
Lovlina displayed great calmness in the final round and let her opponent bring the match to her. She put the onus on Chinese Taipei's NC Chen to snatch the match back from her. NC Chen flustered even more and allowed Lovlina to sail through the bout and advance to the semifinals of the competition.
Lovlina Borgohain's strategy: No strategy
Speaking about her win and her strategy during the fight, in the mixed zone, Borgohain said:
"I had no strategy. There’s always a chance of the opponent finding it out. So, I had planned to keep it simple inside the ring. I thought I’ll see what happens and then decide what to do and handle it. I just planned on winning all rounds. I didn’t want to let any round go. I wanted to give my 100%.”
Borgohain had lost to her opponent on four occasions before today. Speaking about what happened in the middle, Borgohain said:
“I have lost four times to Chen till now. I used to think too much. This time I knew how she’d play so I attacked from the very beginning. I usually play on the counter, but I changed that today.”
Lovlina Borgohain becomes the second female boxer, after MC Mary Kom, to win a medal at the Olympics. But this victory has not satisfied her. Borgohain said:
“I want the gold! A bronze won’t do. Now that I’ve secured a medal, I can play more freely and hope the next fight is even better.”
Speaking about her thoughts before the pressure bout, Borgohain explained:
“[Before the match] I emphasized on not stressing too much. Stress never does any good. I only wanted to prove it to myself. I’ve lost to her 4 times so I wanted to prove it to myself that I can beat her. This was just the hardwork I’ve put in over the past 8 years. I just wanted to bring that out today”
Indian boxing was in the news yesterday after MC Mary Kom blamed unfair judgment for her loss in the flyweight category and subsequent elimination from the Tokyo Olympics. Sharing her thoughts on this matter, Borgohain said:
“I know what it feels to lose after training hard. I’ve been in such situations many times. So, I felt really sad that Mary di lost yesterday. I had to win at all cost today.”
Up next, Lovlina will face the first seed, and the current welterweight world champion, Busenaz Sürmeneli of Turkey, on the 4th of August. With the pressure of securing a medal now out of her way, Lovlina's next mission will be to improve the color of the medal she wins.
Also read - India at Olympics 2021
