Lovlina Borgohain is just one win away from an assured Olympic medal. She beat Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad in the Round of 16 bout with a score of 5-0 at the North Paris Arena on Wednesday.
Unveiling an improved performance, the eighth-seeded Lovlina, who had experienced a lower back issue during the pre-Olympics camp in Saarbrucken, exhibited no signs of discomfort.
She cheerfully jogged to the blue corner, eager to start her first match. With a clear mind and confident stance, the Indian athlete launched early attacks to gain the upper hand.
Her left-right combinations put pressure on the Norwegian, who tried to counterattack in response to the tall Indian’s aggressive strategy.
After dominating the first round with accurate strikes, Lovlina kept her distance, effectively utilizing her powerful left jab to keep Sunniva at bay.
In the second round, Lovlina focused on balancing her offensive and defensive strategies. Her agility and evasive maneuvers allowed her to avoid the Norwegian’s attempts and solidify her advantage.
Lovlina is set to face the top-seeded Chinese star Li Qian in the quarterfinals. Li Qian is a double Olympic medalist, a three-time World Championships medalist, and the reigning Asian Games champion.
Fully aware of the significant challenge ahead in four days, 26-year-old Lovlina, who was defeated by Li Qian in their last two encounters at the Asian Games finals in October and the Grand Prix 2024 in mid-June, avoided all distractions by bypassing the waiting media without engaging in any post-match interviews.
We would love to see Lovlina avenge her defeats in the quarterfinals against Li Qian. She is aiming for nothing less than the gold medal.
We wish her all the very best for the quarterfinal match which will be played on Sunday the 4th of August at the North Paris Arena.