Asian Games: Boxer Lovlina Borgohain storms into 75kg women's finals, qualifies for Paris Olympics

At the Asian Games, boxer Lovlina Borgohain has sealed her place to compete in the Paris Olympics after she won the 75kg women's in the semi-final. Her upper cut before the bell rang gave the edge for Lovlina

Hangzhou: World Champion Lovlina Borgohain has scripted a joyous moment for the Indian boxing fans in the ongoing Asian Games entering the final of the 75 kg category while ensuring a silver medal and booking a berth in the Paris Olympics.

Borgohain who had won the Tokyo Olympic bronze impressed in her bout against Asian Championship silver medallist Baison Manikon of Thailand for a unanimous decision win, which helped book her ticket for next year's Paris Games.

The boxer was supposed to take a step further to step into the gold medal and she grabbed on the opportunity with a win. In the first round. Lovlina tried to use her height as an advantage throwing relentless punches at Baison Maneekon of Thailand. Further, she switched on her attacking mode 25 seconds before the conclusion of the first round. Her efforts paid rich dividends in the first round as judges awarded it to her unanimously.

In the second round, Lovlina displayed a nimble footwork to survive opponents' punches. While Lovlina continued her attack, the Thai opponent also threw some punches at the right spot to impress the judges. Baison succeeded in making an impact with her performance and three judges gave the result in her favour.

With both the boxers winning one round each, a lot was at stake for Lovlina. The contest became so intense that refree gave a warning to both the athletes for holding up play. It was a close contest but the Indian boxer landed an upper cut before the bell went off.

With a victory, a silver or gold was assured for India. Not only that, but Lovlina also earned an entry pass to the Paris Olympics with a stellar performance.