Boxer Lalbuatsaihi: Winning silver at Asian Boxing Championships a dream come true

Lalbuatsaihi poses with her silver medal at the Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai recently. PICS/BFI

Boxer Lalbuatsaihi, who claimed a silver medal on debut in the 64kg category at the May 24-31 Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai, is on cloud nine.

Lalbuatsaihi came into the Indian team as a late replacement for Pwilao Basumatary, whose passport had reportedly expired.

"I won gold at the 2019 World Police and Fire Games at Chengdu, China. But winning a silver at the Asian event is a whole new level and it surely was a dream come true. By the grace of God, I was able to achieve this feat," Lalbuatsaihi, whose mother runs a garment shop in Saron Veng, Mizoram, told www.mid-day.com.

She beat Kuwait's Noura Almutairi in her first bout which happened to be the semi-finals before losing 2-3 to her Kazakh rival Milana Safronova in the 64kg final.

"I was really lucky. At the same time, I feel so sorry for her [Pwilao Basumatary]. Unfortunately, her passport had expired and she couldn't make it. Since this was a major competition, she would have worked so hard for it. I wish her all the best for the future," Lalbuatsaihi said.

Lalbuatsaihi during the Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai recently

The Dubai event taught her to be ready for any situation. "This championship was a memorable one in many ways. It is not just the medal that I won, but the entire experience of adapting to international exposure. It [event] has encouraged me to face more challenges and be prepared for any event," she said.

When asked which bout was the toughest one for her, Lalbuatsaihi replied: "The final. She [Safronova] is taller than me and most of the time she hugged me. I thought the referee was going to warn her, but that didn't happen so it made it so exhausting. It was a great match, after all. I fought hard but could not win."