Tokyo 2020
Tokyo Olympics: Boxing, Day 12, August 4th: Lovlina Borgohain one step away from final — Preview, LIVE stream, when and where to watch
It is either a shot at Gold, or a guaranteed bronze medal for her as she steps up to create history
Lovlina Borgohain
Lovlina Borgohain is set to become the first female boxer since Mary Kom and the second female boxer in the history of Indian sport to be assured of an Olympic medal regardless of the result tomorrow. She guaranteed herself a medal after her entry into the semi-finals with a 4-1 victory in the quarter finals of the Tokyo Olympics.
She is set to face Busenaz Suremeneli in the semi-finals of the Welterweight category. Lovlina's Turkish opponent has had two unanimous victories in her favour since the tournament began. She won both the round of 16 and quarter final match up with scores of 5-0 in each.
Indian fans have been used to witnessing quarterfinal Indian match ups with world champions especially in sports like archery and boxing which saw Indian athletes getting the toughest competitors. Relatively, Lovlina has an easier opponent both in terms of age and experience. Busenaz is a 23-year-old who is competing in her first Olympics just like Lovlina. She has not got too much international experience, but this is where it gets tricky.
Busenaz has excelled in the welterweight category in whatever few events she has competed in. She competed at 2 World Championships where she finished 1st in the 2019 Welterweight category and 17th in the 2018 Middle weight category. In the European Championships, she finishes 3rd in the 2019 Welterweight category. This is also added on with the Grand Prix Ustil in 2019 where she stood 1st and the Nations Women's Cup which she won earlier this year. Busenaz is gunning for gold for the past 8 years ever since she made a promise to the Turkish President she would return home with an Olympics medal.
Lovlina has nothing to fear though as she has also overcome Nien Chin Chen who was higher ranked and more experienced as well. This in itself along with how tactful Lovlina has been inside the ring, should instil enough confidence in fans who will be looking forward to watching her reach the finals. All in all, it should be a cracker of a bout so do tune in to watch it.
