Boxing
Tokyo Olympics: Lovlina's parents won't watch their daughter play in Semi-final
Unwilling to tune into the live match of Lovlina Borgohain, parents of Assam's first Olympic medallist will steer clear of watching their daughter in action.
Lovlina Borgohain (Source: Boxing India)
For a second, imagine the condition of your nerves when you watch your favourite athletes play - you can barely breathe, your emotions are all over the place, the adrenaline shooting sky-high, the palpitations coming in strong. Isn't that mostly the case whenever you watch them in action? Now, take it one step further and imagine what if that athlete in concern is somebody blood-related to you - perhaps your very own kith and kin, your son, daughter, sister, et al - it's all the more a nervous battle isn't it?
Similarly, when Lovlina Borgohain, all of 23 and debuting at the Tokyo Olympics came through as the surprise package from Assam and went on to become the third medallist in boxing from India at the Games and Assam's very first medal-winner, her parents, Tiken Borgohain and Mamoni Borgohain were once again a no-show in front of the television.
Keeping up with the superstitions?
Hailing from the once little-known village of Baromukhiya of Borpathar in Golaghat district of Assam, Lovlina's parents do not want to jinx anything by watching their daughter play live and create history. In a village where communication and connectivity issues abound, Lovlina's parents, despite having a television in their house, will refrain from watching the 23-year-old boxer take on the reigning World Champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey for a place in the finals.
"I have never watched Lovlina's matches - be it the World Championship, Commonwealth (Games) or the Olympics. Her mother too does not watch her play. Call it anything; our fear, love or superstition, we simply cannot," Tiken Borgohain tells News18 Assam.
Preferring to rather stay away from the live show, both Tiken and Mamoni Borgohain bank on hearing the results than going through the upheaval of watching their very own daughter play. For a better context, think back to how PV Sindhu's coach, Park Tae-sang was reacting during the clutch moments of the 2-time Olympic medallist's matches. Park, sat on the sidelines with his heart held in his mouth and later confessed to being infinitely more nervous than his pupil, PV Sindhu, during such do-or-die points.
Not willing to invest in such anxiety and hoping that them not watching the match will push Lovlina into territories no other Indian boxer has ever dared into, Tiken and Mamoni will not face the television at all during that span. "There's a lot of emotion involved watching a match live. We are happy that Lovlina has won her bouts and is assured of a medal. But her mother and I won't be watching the next two matches as well," said Tiken Borgohain to Hindustan Times.
Lovlina's parents aren't the only isolated case here as 4-time Grand Slam champion, Japan's Naomi Osaka's father would also stay away from her daughter's matches as the anxiety of watching her play would get too much. After Naomi Osaka lifted the 2018 US Open trophy, she was asked by the reporter about her father's absence from the matches.
Not really sure of what her father keeps himself busy with during the time she is out on the court winning Slams, Osaka had humorously replied saying, "We don't really know," said the Japanese with a smile. "I always thought I should put like a GoPro on him..I think he might take long walks, because maybe my matches stress him out or something," she had mentioned with a chuckle in the post-match conference.
