Tokyo Olympics medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who landed in her home state on Tuesday night after winning gold in Asian Games 2026, speaks to TOI’s Mukut Das. Lovlina hails from Assam’s Golaghat district.You have completed 15 years in your boxing career. How do you look back at this journey and your achievements across major international competitions?During this journey, I have been fortunate enough to win medals at all the major boxing events, including the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, World Boxing Championships and Asian Amateur Boxing Championships. I have won two medals at the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships and three at the World Boxing Championships. I feel very happy and proud when I look back at my journey.When you started boxing, did you have any particular target or dream in mind?I did not have any specific target. I simply continued playing because I loved the sport. With time, one achievement after another started coming my way.What does it mean to you to follow the path of a legendary boxer like Mary Kom, more particularly as you both are from northeast India?Mary Kom, a six-time world champion, has been a huge inspiration, and being able to follow the path of such a great boxer makes me feel extremely proud.Your 15-year journey had its share of struggles and ups and downs. What helped you overcome those challenges?The 15-year journey has been full of struggles, challenges and ups and downs. Patience and staying focused on the sport helped me overcome those difficult phases. I believe that maintaining focus and continuing to work hard, despite the challenges, ultimately helped me achieve success.With the next Olympics ahead, how are you approaching the challenge? Do you feel any pressure?As far as the next Olympics is concerned, I have not put any pressure on myself. Definitely, I have a target and a dream, but I want to move forward without putting unnecessary pressure on myself. Winning and losing are part of the sport, and no athlete enters a competition thinking about defeat. But if we take too much pressure, we can lose our strength and focus.The World Boxing Championship is scheduled for next year, and the qualifying competition for the championship will be very important for me now. My immediate focus will be on performing well in the qualifiers and securing my place in the World Championship.How do you deal with the emotional highs and lows that come with being an athlete?I may be happy today and sad tomorrow, but I must not allow these emotions to affect me. I will continue to do my part and give my best. I believe that if I do everything properly and remain focused, the result will also go in my favour.What does athlete Bhogeswar Barua’s legacy mean to you and other athletes from Assam?Athlete Bhogeswar Barua has made an enormous contribution to Assam, and we all take inspiration from him. I feel fortunate to have brought gold for Assam in the Asian Games after him, as he had won the gold medal in 1966. Assam probably could not have had an athlete like him, and the state is very fortunate to have such a legendary sportsperson.
