'Wanted to upgrade the colour': India's ace boxer Lovlina Borgohain on winning Asian Games gold

India's ace boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Sunday expressed immense joy after winning gold in the women's 75kg category at the Asian Games 2026, calling the medal especially meaningful as it came on her birthday and improved upon her previous silver.

After returning to New Delhi on Sunday, Lovlina said that coming home with a medal and meeting her people was an indescribable feeling.

She also received a warm welcome back home after winning the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026.


Lovlina is currently a resident of Rajouri Gardens, where friends and neighbours welcomed her after her return from Japan on Sunday.

Having already won medals at the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, Lovlina finally struck gold at one of the 'big three' multi-sport events, defeating China's Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women's 75kg final to claim India's first-ever gold medal in the category.

"I am happy with my performance; this medal is incredibly special to me. First of all, it happened on my birthday, which was a huge deal for me. Secondly, since I had won silver last time, I wanted to upgrade the colour of the medal this time, so that makes it feel even better. Returning home and meeting my people feels amazing; words cannot describe the feeling of coming back with a medal," Borgohain told ANI.

Lovlina produced a composed performance in the gold-medal bout, using her counter-punching effectively against an aggressive Bao to secure a unanimous victory.

The Chinese boxer started the contest on the front foot and threw a flurry of punches in the opening round, but Lovlina remained patient and responded with effective counters. She edged the round 3-2.

Bao continued to press in the second round, but Lovlina grew in confidence and landed the cleaner punches. She took the round 4-1 to establish a 2-0 lead on the judges' scorecards.

With the gold within reach, Lovlina maintained her strategy in the third round, allowing Bao to come forward while avoiding heavy damage and finding opportunities to counter. The Indian was awarded the round unanimously to complete a 5-0 victory and claim the Asian Games title.