India's hopes for a second Olympic boxing medal were dashed on Sunday, August 4 as Lovlina Borgohain lost her women's 75kg quarterfinal bout to China's Li Qian. The Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist suffered a 4-1 split decision defeat, ending her campaign in Paris Games 2024.
Lovlina Borgohain Out of Paris Olympics
Li Qian secured a narrow victory in the first two rounds by 3-2 margins. Borgohain fought back in the second round, with four of the five judges scoring it a draw. However, Qian dominated the final round, winning by a 4-1 decision and booking her place in the semifinals. Despite the loss, Borgohain had advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Sunniva Hofstad of Norway in the round of 16.
India's Boxing Campaign Ends Disappointingly
India's hopes for a boxing medal at the Paris Olympics were dashed on Saturday with the defeat of Nishant Dev in the men's 71kg quarter-finals. Just one win away from securing a medal, Dev's exit marked the end of India's boxing campaign.
Earlier, Lovlina Borgohain had been eliminated in the women's 75kg quarter-finals by the formidable Li Qian. Despite Borgohain's potential, the two-time Olympic medalist proved too strong. With both Borgohain and Dev out of the competition, India's boxing contingent will return home empty-handed. The early exits of Amit Panghal, Nikhat Zareen, Jaismine Lamboria, and Preeti Pawar further compounded the disappointment.
Notably, Lovlina Borgohain joined an elite group of Indian boxers when she clinched the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She followed in the footsteps of Vijender Singh, the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal (bronze) in 2008, and Mary Kom, who secured bronze at the London 2012 Games. Lovlina had the potential to become India's first Olympic boxing medal repeat winner. However, the Olympic format awards two bronze medals to the losing semi-finalists, eliminating a separate bronze medal match. The winners of the semi-finals compete for the gold medal.
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