Lovlina Borgohain: I'll take my medal to schools across Assam

Bronze medallist India`s Lovlina Borgohain celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women`s welter (64-69kg) boxing final bout during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on August 7, 2021. Pic/AFP

India boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics recently, is keen to visit schools in her home state, Assam, along with her medal in the hope that it inspires youth to excel in sport.

"I want to contribute and inspire young minds at the grassroot level. Hopefully, my medal and my story will go a long way in inspiring kids to take up sports and pursue it. It will be great if my medal can be showcased across schools in Golaghat [where she was born and brought up] and across other regions Assam," Borgohain, who lost to reigning world and Olympic champion Busenaz Surmenelli in the welterweight (69kg) semi-final and settled for bronze, told mid-day recently.

Borgohain, a two-time World Championships bronze-winner (2018 and 2019), also highlighted the importance of an efficient sports ecosystem to help Indian athletes succeed more often on the world stage. "If India is to become a sporting nation like many other countries, we have to focus on schools and create an ecosystem for sports, right from infrastructure to other peripheral developments across subjects like physiotherapy, nutrition, strengthening and conditioning experts, doctors and professional support staff members. Hopefully, some day I can start my own academy where I can support the boys and girls of my state and beyond. I hope to encourage young talent and provide them a platform from where they can climb the ladder of international success," added Borgohain, 23, who was recently appointed Deputy Superintendent of Assam Police.

The pugilist also promised to work even harder to secure a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games. "My aim is to win gold at the Olympics and I'm determined to fulfil it. Surmenelli is definitely a strong contender, but I'm confident because I won this medal after defeating Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-Chin to whom I have lost four times before. I plan on starting afresh and will continue working on my technique. I will evaluate my performance in the semi-finals and analyse how I can better myself," Borgohain concluded.

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