Boxing
From Mary Kom to Lovlina Borgohain - India's boxing legacy lives on
Picking up immediately from where Mary Kom left off at the Olympic stage, Assam's Lovlina Borgohain created history by winning bronze medal at Tokyo!
Lovlina Borgohain continues the legacy of Mary Kom
The emotions are riding high as, India has a reason to beam proudly again as Assam's Lovlina Borgohain went ahead and won one more medal for the nation at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, taking the tally to 3.
Becoming the second Indian female pugilist after the legendary MC Mary Kom to win an Olympic medal, the 23-year-old Lovlina scripted history after winning most ceremoniously against her most feared opponent, former World Champion, Chinese Taipei's Nein-Chin Chen.
Participating in the Women's welterweight category (64kg - 69kg), Lovlina tamed the formidable Chen in their quarter-final bout at the Tokyo Olympics and essayed a magnificent victory, 4-1 to sail into the semi-finals of the event.
But in her semifinal bout, she lost against the reigning World Champion now, Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey, and lost the chance to fight for a gold medal. However, she has already scripted history by becoming only the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the olympics.
In India, there have been only 2 medals won in boxing previously at the Olympics and both have been bronze. While Vijender Singh brought a bronze from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it was 6-time World Champion Mary Kom who became the first Manipuri pugilist to claim this honour as she won a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, which was her debut appearance at the quadrennial Games.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the North East women have become the reason for India to smile as Assam's Lovlina Borgohain becomes the second person to assure the country of a medal after Manipur's Mirabai Chanu won a historic silver medal in weightlifting on Day 1 of the Tokyo Olympics.
From Mary to Lovlina - the legacy continues
As soon as the 38-year-old Mary Kom, played her final bout at the Tokyo Olympics on Day 6 of the Games and went down fighting to the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist, Ingrit Valencia and caused a tide of emotions to surge, Lovlina Borgohain, from neighbouring Assam, ensured that we have reason to shed tears of joy as she took over the baton from Kom at the Olympics.
Continuing the rich and glistening legacy India has etched in boxing, the Golaghat resident, Lovlina, at just 23, has done what it takes to cement India on the boxing map further and is following in the footsteps of the legendary Mary Kom.
As we bid farewell to 'Magnificent Mary' from the Olympic stage, in no time, India has been gifted with a true successor in the form of Lovlina Borgohain - who has all but run into the open arms of countless Indians, eager for a medal.
There is no need to worry anymore then as Mary's legacy is in the safest of gloves - as Lovlina is here to protect it with her punches, if need be, and tow India only upwards and usher in new horizons of glory.
