Lovlina Borgohain (born 2 October 1997) is an Indian boxer from Assam. She won the bronze medal in the welterweight (69 kg) class at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, becoming the third Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal, after Vijender Singh and Mary Kom, and the first woman from Assam to do so. In 2023 she became world champion in the 75 kg class.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Lovlina Borgohain |
| Born | 2 October 1997, Baro Mukhia, Golaghat district, Assam, India |
| Age | 29 |
| Sport | Boxing (69 kg, later 75 kg) |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Olympic medal | Bronze, welterweight (Tokyo 2020) |
| World Championships | Gold (2023), bronze (2018, 2019) |
| Honours | Arjuna Award (2020), Khel Ratna (2021) |
Early Life
Lovlina was born in Baro Mukhia, a village in Golaghat district of upper Assam. Her father, Tiken Borgohain, ran a small business and worked on a tea garden, and money was short. Following her elder twin sisters, Licha and Lima, she first took up Muay Thai, a form of kickboxing. In 2012 a coach from the Sports Authority of India, Padum Boro, spotted her at trials held at her school and brought her to Guwahati to train as a boxer.
Career
Tall for her weight class, with a long reach, Lovlina won bronze at the Asian Championships in 2017. She won bronze medals at the World Championships in New Delhi in 2018 and in Ulan-Ude, Russia, in 2019.
She qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in March 2020. In the months before the Games she caught COVID-19 and missed a training trip to Europe, and her mother underwent a kidney transplant. In Tokyo she beat the former world champion Chen Nien-chin of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-final on 30 July 2021 to make sure of a medal, then lost the semi-final to Turkey’s Busenaz Sürmeneli, the eventual champion. A paved road was laid to her village after her win.
After moving up to 75 kg, Lovlina won gold at the Asian Championships in 2022 and at the World Championships in New Delhi in March 2023, beating Australia’s Caitlin Parker in the final. She won silver at the Asian Games in Hangzhou later that year, which earned her a place at the Paris Olympics, where she lost in the quarter-finals.
Personal Life
Lovlina holds a post with the Assam Police as a deputy superintendent, given in recognition of her Olympic medal. She has opened a boxing academy in Guwahati to train young boxers from the North-East.
Awards and Honours
Major Medals
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Lovlina Borgohain born?
Lovlina Borgohain was born on 2 October 1997 in Baro Mukhia, Golaghat district, Assam, India and is 29 years old.
What honours has Lovlina Borgohain received?
Arjuna Award (2020), Khel Ratna (2021).
Featured image: Lovlina Borgohain (right) with the cricket administrator Devajit Saikia at the opening of a boxing academy at Gauhati Town Club, Guwahati, October 2024. Photo by GANIGHY, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
