Lovlina beat the odds, and Covid

30: aaram se jeetegi, nahi hai (She will win easily, no reason to worry),” the man who first spotted the boxer in kickboxer Lovlina Borgohain had said before her historic medal-clinching win in Tokyo Olympics.

And Sports Authority of India coach Padam Boro’s assertion, a day before the contest, turned out to be prophetic.

How did the journey begin for the reticent youngster, brought up in Baro Mukhia village of Assam’s Golaghat district? For one, she had elder sisters — Licha and Lima — who are kick-boxers and parents immensely supportive of their children’s sporting ambitions despite limited means.

“They backed her to the fullest, often discussed her game with me and were willing to do anything for her dreams,” said Boro.

And what a dream the 23year-old is living. The eversmiling boxer is the first woman from Assam to make the Olympic boxing cut and clinch a medal as well.

Her mother Mamoni underwent a kidney transplant last year. Borgohain visited her for a few days at that time and ended up testing positive for COVID19 a day before she was to leave with the Olympicqualified group for a 52-day training trip to Europe.

That exposure trip would have been crucial for her given that the pandemic had caused a shutdown all across and in India too, boxers were not allowed to spar for a while even after the camps reopened.

It was deflating for the boxer but the government stepped in to assist Borgohain after she recovered from COVID-19, including a personalised training camp in Assam for her.

But away from her teammates, it was tough for the youngster to build up all by herself.

And it showed in the Asian Championships last month where she lost in her very first bout although the small size of the draw ensured that she still ended up with a bronze medal.

She has also not been averse to talk about her lack of self-belief, especially after the first-round exit from the 2018 Commonwealth Games. But meditation has helped her to stay focussed.

The meticulous campaign has finally got her the result she dreamed of and the scream that she let out at the end of her quarterfinal win was perhaps Borgohain finally letting emotions overcome her after being the restrained fighter both inside and outside the ring.