NISHIO, Japan, October 2, 2026: Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday with a landmark achievement, winning the gold medal in the women’s 75kg boxing category at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Friday.
Borgohain defeated China’s Bao Ziyi by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the final at the Nishio Gymnasium, upgrading the silver medal she won at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The victory also placed Borgohain in an exclusive chapter of Indian sporting history. She became only the second Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold medal, following Mary Kom, who achieved the feat in 2014. India had therefore waited 12 years for another women’s boxing gold at the Asian Games.
The final was closely contested in the opening round, with Borgohain taking a narrow 3-2 advantage. She then established greater control in the second and third rounds, with four judges scoring both rounds in her favour. One judge awarded her a 30-27 scorecard overall, while the other four gave her 29-28.
Borgohain had reached the final after a strong campaign. She began with a 5-0 quarterfinal victory over South Korea’s Seong Suyeon before edging reigning 70kg world champion Natalya Bogdanova of Kazakhstan 3-2 in a closely fought semifinal. The semifinal victory also made her the first Indian woman boxer to reach consecutive Asian Games finals.
For the boxer from Assam, the gold adds another major achievement to a career that includes an Olympic bronze medal from Tokyo 2020. Her victory in Japan also comes after she finished with silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The triumph was particularly significant for Assam, where Borgohain has emerged as one of the State’s most prominent sporting figures. Born on October 2, 1997, she marked her birthday with a performance that delivered India its latest major success in women’s boxing.
With the Asian Games gold now added to her medal collection, Borgohain has completed another significant milestone in her international boxing career.
