Lovlina Borgohain turned her 29th birthday into a landmark day for Indian boxing on Friday, overcoming China’s Bao Ziyi by a unanimous 5-0 decision to claim the women’s 75kg gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Nishio.
Key Takeaways:
- Lovlina Borgohain defeated China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 to win the women’s 75kg gold at the Asian Games 2026.
- The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist became only the second Indian woman boxer to win Asian Games gold after Mary Kom.
- Ankush and Parveen Hooda also reached their respective boxing finals, giving India two more gold-medal opportunities.
Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday with a historic gold medal after defeating China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women’s 75kg final at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday.
The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist controlled the contest at Nishio Gymnasium and became only the second Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold medal.
She joined legendary boxer Mary Kom in the elite list with her emphatic victory.
Lovlina Borgohain Controls Gold-Medal Bout
Lovlina started the final cautiously as Bao Ziyi pushed her in the opening round.
The Indian boxer edged the first round 3-2 in a closely fought contest. She then increased her control and produced a stronger performance in the next two rounds.
Lovlina won both the second and third rounds by 4-1 margins.
Her superiority reflected in the final scorecards. Four judges awarded her a 29-28 score, while the fifth judge gave her a 30-27 card.
The unanimous 5-0 decision confirmed Lovlina as the women’s 75kg Asian Games champion.
A Gold Medal on Her Birthday
The victory gave Lovlina an extraordinary way to mark her 29th birthday.
It also added another major achievement to a career that already includes a Tokyo Olympic bronze medal and a Commonwealth Games silver.
Lovlina entered the Asian Games final with a medal already assured. She had produced a commanding performance in the quarterfinals to defeat South Korea’s Seong Suyeon 5-0.
That victory took her into the last four and guaranteed her a place on the podium.
Hard-Fought Route to the Final
Lovlina faced Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova in the semifinal.
The bout proved considerably closer than her quarterfinal.
The Indian boxer found herself narrowly behind after the opening round but recovered to take control of the contest.
She eventually secured a 3-2 split-decision victory and booked her place in the gold-medal bout.
Lovlina then completed her campaign with another composed performance against Bao Ziyi.
Lovlina Joins Mary Kom
The gold medal places Lovlina among the select group of Indian women boxers who have won Asian Games gold.
Mary Kom had previously achieved the feat, establishing her place in Indian boxing history.
Lovlina has now joined her after winning the women’s 75kg title in Nishio.
Her victory also delivered India’s first boxing gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games.
Ankush Stages Strong Comeback
India’s boxing campaign received another boost as Ankush advanced to the final of his category.
He produced a strong comeback against Erkinboev in the semifinal and secured a 4-1 victory.
Ankush faced an early setback after losing the opening round 1-4.
He responded in the second round and edged it 3-2 in a closely contested exchange. His punches landed effectively as he fought his way back into the bout.
He maintained his advantage to complete a 4-1 semifinal win.
Parveen Hooda Books 65kg Final Spot
Parveen Hooda also secured a place in the final of the women’s 65kg category.
She delivered a dominant performance against China’s Li Shu and won the semifinal 5-0.
The result gave India another opportunity to add a boxing gold medal to its Asian Games tally.
India Eyes More Boxing Gold
Lovlina has already delivered India’s first boxing gold of the ongoing Games.
Ankush and Parveen will now compete in their respective gold-medal bouts on Friday.
Their qualification for the finals gives India two more opportunities to increase its boxing gold-medal tally.
Lovlina’s victory, meanwhile, stands as the biggest highlight of India’s boxing campaign so far, with the 29-year-old adding an Asian Games gold to her growing collection of international medals.