NAGOYA, JAPAN — Olympic medalist Lovlina Borgohain cemented her legacy in Indian sports history on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, by becoming the first Indian woman boxer to reach two Asian Games finals.
Staging a successful comeback at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Borgohain overcame a difficult start to defeat Kazakhstan’s reigning 70kg world champion, Natalya Bogdanova, in a thrilling women’s 75kg semi-final bout. The tightly contested match concluded with a tense 3-2 split decision in favor of the Indian pugilist.
The semi-final did not begin according to plan for Borgohain. The opening round saw both fighters taking a highly cautious approach, keeping their exchanges controlled and refusing to commit too early. With neither boxer gaining a definitive upper hand, the judges faced a razor-thin decision. The opening round ultimately went against Borgohain in a narrow 2-3 split verdict, leaving her with absolutely no room for error.
Demonstrating the grit of a champion, Borgohain adjusted her strategy over the final two rounds, successfully breaking through Bogdanova’s defenses to edge out the Kazakh world champion and punch her ticket to history.
Borgohain, who secured a silver medal at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, now has a golden opportunity to climb one step higher on the podium.
Her triumph headlined a massive day for India at the ring, making her the third Indian boxer to secure a spot in a gold medal bout in Nagoya. She joins teammate Ankush Panghal, who reached the men’s 80kg final, and Parveen Hooda, who booked her place in the women’s 65kg final. All three Indian finalists are scheduled to fight for their respective gold medals on October 2.
September 30 proved to be a historic day for the Indian contingent as a whole. While three boxers advanced to fight for gold, the country also celebrated two podium finishes. Priya Ghanghas and Kapil Pokhriyal signed off from the tournament with hard-fought bronze medals after bowing out in their respective semi-final encounters.
With these collective victories, India has officially bettered its boxing haul from the Hangzhou Games. The five medals secured or guaranteed on Wednesday pushed India’s overall boxing medal tally to six, eclipsing the previous edition’s total of one silver and three bronze medals.
All eyes now turn to October 2 as Borgohain looks to transform her historic final appearance into an Asian Games gold.
