Having endured a less-than-expected outcome in the recently-concluded Paris Olympics, where she bowed out after going down in the women’s 75kg quarterfinal against old nemesis Li Qian of China, Lovlina Borgohain, the reigning world champion and 2020 Tokyo bronze medallist, remains focused on her ultimate goal of winning an Olympic gold and fostering the growth of young boxing talent in India.

In her assessment of the Olympic bout against China’s Li Qian, Borgohain acknowledged that the first two rounds were closely contested, but she struggled in the third round due to Qian’s holding tactics.

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“I’m yet to analyse what went wrong in the Olympics. The first two rounds against Li Qian went either way, but in the third she was holding me, and I couldn’t get off that,” the lanky Assamese pugilist told The Statesman.

Seeded eighth at the quadrennial showpiece event in the French city, Lovlina was the last hope among the Indian women boxers, having entered the last eight of the competitions before a close encounter with the Chinese ended her campaign, and dreams of becoming the first ever Indian boxer to win two consecutive Olympic medals.

Expressing her frustration that a similar situation had led to penalties during her fight for the Hangzhou Asian Games gold against the Chinese opponent, Lovlina maintained that she did not wish to use that as an excuse.

“In the Asian Games, I was penalised a point for holding, the same should have applied here. But I don’t want to make it an excuse. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my day, no hard feelings against the Chinese boxer,” she said.

Creating future champions

Looking ahead, Lovlina’s vision extends beyond her personal achievements as she hopes to create an environment that will produce multiple top athletes, ensuring that Indian boxing remains strong even if she is no longer competing.

“I want to create an environment in the next few years, so that we can have 10 more Lovlinas representing the country, and even if I lose, people will expect the 9-10 others to bring medals for our country,” she said.

“I want to groom some younger boxers along with me, so that I can help create that pool and the chain can continue even after I leave the sport,” she added.

Counting her setback in Paris as one of the roadblocks to the ultimate dream of winning an Olympic gold, Lovlina remains determined to bounce back stronger and prepare better for upcoming tournaments.

“There are no such plans (retirement), too early to take such a call. Isn’t it? There’s a long way to go, to fulfil my ultimate dream (Olympic gold). There will be roadblocks on the way, and Paris was one of them, but I will bounce back stronger in the coming tournaments to prepare better,” she said.

Comparing her experiences in Tokyo and Paris, Borgohain highlighted the differences in preparation and conditions. “Tokyo was tougher due to the pandemic and the postponement of the Games,” she recalled.

“In Paris, everything was normal, but the preparation time was shorter,” she added.

She noted that while the shorter preparation period posed its own challenges, she views these experiences as valuable lessons.

Facilities in India better than others

Lovlina observed that the conditions in Saarbrucken, Germany, where the boxing contingent trained before the Paris Games, were comparable to, or less favourable than, those provided in India. “Facilities in India are better than some other developed countries,” she noted.

Lovlina revealed that the best way to minimise distractions is by staying away from social media — a move that worked for her in Tokyo 2020 and hence she once again opted to stay away from it three months prior to the Paris Games.

“When you are preparing for an Olympics, you can’t afford to let the outside noise affect you,” she explained.

When Lovlina returns to the ring after a short breather, she hopes to utilise the next Olympic cycle not only in pursuit of the ultimate prize but also wants to build a legacy that inspires and equips future champions with the help of her ‘Lovlina Borgohain Foundation’.

“It’s (Lovlina Borgohain Foundation) still a work-in-progress, there are certain formalities to be completed, and I hope to get all those sorted before I return to the camp,” she said before signing off.