Lovlina Borgohain produced a landmark performance on Friday, defeating China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women’s 75kg final to win her maiden Asian Games gold medal and end India’s 12-year wait for a women’s boxing title at the continental Games.

The triumph at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games also placed Lovlina in an exclusive club. She became only the second Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold, following MC Mary Kom, who claimed the 51kg title at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

The victory was particularly memorable for Lovlina as it came on her 29th birthday, giving the Assam boxer a golden finish to a campaign that had previously brought her an Asian Games silver.

Lovlina holds her nerve against Bao

Lovlina entered the final after a hard-fought 3-2 semi-final victory over Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova. In the title bout, she faced Bao, the reigning Asian Championships gold medallist, who started aggressively and looked to dictate the pace from the opening bell.

Lovlina, however, remained composed and relied on her counter-punching. She edged the opening round 3-2 on the judges’ scorecards.

Bao continued to press forward in the second round, but Lovlina began finding the cleaner punches. The Indian boxer won the round 4-1, giving her a 2-0 lead on the judges’ cards.

Lovlina Borgohain declared winner of the match

With the gold medal within reach, Lovlina adopted a measured approach in the third round. She allowed Bao to come forward, avoided unnecessary exchanges and looked for openings to counter. Her strategy paid off as all five judges awarded her the final round, completing a 5-0 unanimous victory.

From Asian Games Silver to Gold

Lovlina’s victory represents an upgrade from the silver she won in the women’s 75kg category at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou. She also owns a bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and became world champion in the 75kg category in 2023.

Her list of major achievements also includes gold at the 2022 Asian Championships and silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Born on October 2, 1997, in Assam’s Golaghat district, Lovlina has now added an Asian Games title to an already decorated international career.

She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2020 and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021.

Lovlina’s gold also strengthened India’s medal haul at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, where the country continued to add to its tally on Friday. Her victory marked another significant chapter in Indian women’s boxing, coming 12 years after Mary Kom’s historic Asian Games triumph.