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WION Exclusive: Bronze-medalist Lovlina Borgohain on her sacrifices, match and goal for 2024 Olympics

WION Web Team
New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaWritten By: Digvijay Singh DeoUpdated: Aug 04, 2021, 05:51 PM IST
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Lovlina Borgohain Photograph:(PTI)

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Lovlina Borgohain said India's boxing federation, the government and all the people from Assam helped her win big in the Summer Olympic Games. She also hoped that her win could inspire many people in Assam to do good in the field of sports. 

Lovlina Borgohain has become the third Indian boxer after Mary Kom and Vijender Singh to win a medal for India at the Olympics.

She spoke to WION's Digvijay Singh Deo after claiming the bronze medal for her country in her first-ever Olympics. In the exclusive chat, she revealed that she was happy with the medal but could not achieve her expectations to win gold for the country. 

"Yes, I won the medal and I am happy about it, but I could not live up to my expectations. I was looking for gold, because I worked hard for so many years for the gold but could not win it. So yeah I am a bit upset," she said. 

The 23-year-old Indian boxer lost to world no.1 Busenaz Surmeneli. Turkey's Surmeneli dominated the match from the very first round.

Talking about the bout and the strategy she used, Lovlina said: "My game is all about long distance, I always play in long distance. But I changed my game to go upfront because if I go back she would attack and it will be visible, but it did not work because she did not go back. I was finding it difficult to send her back. The first round went well for me but by the end of it... I could not do it."

Lovlina also revealed that she was away from social media to focus on the upcoming matches. However, her parents shared a photo of the road that is being built near her house. She talked about her sacrifices before coming to the Tokyo Olympics. 

"Since I started boxing, I have been away from home. I mean I have been home only 2-3 times. I did not go home in 2018 and this year too, I have not been home. I visited my mom once when she was getting an operation done but I still could not see her. I was not allowed to use phone. I wanted to stay with my mother but I could not stay. But I used to think of boxing, it is for winning in Olympics that's why I used to let it go."

"I had one problem that, before any major competition, I used to face injuries. I always play with an injury. Even this time, one month before Olympics, I faced a leg sprain. Had it been others, they would have opted for a plaster for 15-20 days but still, I did not miss even a single day of training. My leg was still not fine, but my physios and coach helped me a lot and all of them motivated me," she said. 

She went on to add that motivation from India's boxing federation, the government and all the people from her native state of Assam helped her win big in the Summer Games. She also hoped that her win in Olympics could inspire many people in Assam to do good in the field of sports. 

She said that she will set her eyes on the 2024 Olympics that will be played in Paris, adding she will prepare for the upcoming World Championship, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games too. 

Lovlina concluded the interview by saying that the Tokyo Olympics 2020 taught her how to believe in herself despite being in the toughest situation.