Paris Olympics: Lovlina Borgohain advances to quarterfinals, set to face Asian games champion

NEW DELHI: Lovlina Borgohain, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist in the 75kg category, started her journey towards a second consecutive Games medal with a confident 5-0 victory over Norway's Sunniva Hofstad in her opening bout on Wednesday. With this win, Borgohain is just one step away from achieving an unprecedented feat in Indian boxing. However, her path to success is not without challenges, as she is set to face top-seeded Chinese boxer Li Qian in the quarterfinals on August 4. A victory in this bout would guarantee Borgohain at least a bronze medal.Throughout the contest, Borgohain displayed a composed and assured performance. Despite Hofstad's attempts to engage her in a slugfest, the Indian boxer maintained her distance and landed clean blows on counter-attack.Borgohain also had to contend with Hofstad's frequent clinching and perilously low guard, but she remained focused and attacked the Norwegian with precision by drawing her in.Borgohain's upcoming opponent, Li Qian, is a formidable adversary. Qian secured a silver medal in the middle-weight (75kg) division at the Tokyo Games and also won a bronze in the 2016 Rio Games. Additionally, she claimed a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Despite the tough draw, Borgohain has demonstrated her ability to overcome challenges in the past, most notably in Tokyo when she defeated world champion Chen Nien-Chin in the quarterfinals to secure her bronze medal.