BORGOHAIN TO GET BRONZE AFTER DEFEAT IN SEMI-FINAL
TOKYO: Lovlina Borgohain says she wanted to win a gold, but her hopes to become the first Indian boxer in an Olympics final was dashed by a superior rival on Wednesday.
She lost to Turkey’s Busenaz Sürmeneli 0-5 in the 69kg semifinal on Wednesday.
Nonetheless, the 23-year-old has made history with a bronze. She is only the third Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal, after Mary Kom and Vijender Singh.
TOKYO: She was in a daze, her face reddened from the pounding Turkey’s Busenaz Sürmeneli had subjected her to in the 69kg semi-final loss. Lovlina Borgohain rushed past the waiting media, relenting only after coach Raffaele Bergamasco asked her.
“Mujhe srif bronze hi milta hai, pata nahin kyun. Mujhe gold jitna tha ( I always end up with bronze, I don’t know why. I wanted to win gold),” the 23-year-old said. Her hopes to become the first Indian boxer in an Olympics final had just been dashed by a superior rival.
It took a while for her to switch off from her bout. She received standing counts in the first and third rounds, lost a point for holding in the second, eventually losing 0-5.
Sürmeneli, world champion and top seed, unleashed powerful jabs, straight punches and right hooks. Borgohain, though taller, made the mistake of trying to box from close, her tactic to stick to long range attacks collapsing early.
She is only the third Indian boxing medallist. Mary Kom and Vijender Singh too won bronze. Borgohain spoke of the sacrifices she and her family had made. “It is not a four-year struggle but 12 years since I started boxing.”
“All these years I have stayed away from my family. I was only obsessed about winning an Olympic gold.”