GUWAHATI: India’s boxing dream ended on Sunday as Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain was knocked out of the Paris Olympics 2024 after losing her women’s 75kg quarterfinal bout to China’s Li Qian.
Borgohain lost by a 4-1 split decision.
Qian won the first round with a 3-2 split decision and repeated the score in the second round. Despite Lovlina narrowing the gap with four of the five judges tied on points, Qian secured a 4-1 decision in the final round, advancing to the semifinals.
Previously, Lovlina had defeated Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad in the round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals.
Borgohain had an opportunity to make history, but her opponent, Li Qian, who is a two-time Olympic medalist and former world champion, proved too strong with dominant punches from the start.
Meanwhile, Indian boxer Nishant Dev’s debut Olympic campaign in Paris ended in heartbreak on Saturday, with a loss in the quarterfinal round of the men’s 71kg category.
With Lovlina Borgohain and Nishant Dev bowing out in the quarter-finals, the Indian boxing contingent will return from Paris without a medal.
Amit Panghal, Nikhat Zareen, Jaismine Lamboria, and Preeti Pawar also faced early exits, marking a disappointing boxing campaign for India.
