Tokyo Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain put up a lacklustre display to settle for a silver as Indian boxers signed off with a haul of five medals at the Asian Games here on Wednesday.
Parveen Hooda couldn’t overcome the height disadvantage against two-time world champion Lin Yu Ting of Chinese Taipei in the women’s 57kg semifinal to sign off with a bronze. Borgohain’s defensive performance cost her the gold as she was out-punched in the lop-sided final.
The reigning world champion was thrashed by home favourite and two-time Olympic medallist Li Qian in the 75kg final.
With Borgohain’s loss, India’s campaign came to an end. The country’s boxers thus signed off with five medals, including one silver and four bronze. In the last edition, India had won a gold and a bronze.
“I gave my best but could not bring the gold. I am happy with my performance. I will try to change the colour of the medal in the Olympics,” Borgohain said after the bout.
“I committed some mistakes like I was playing closer to the opponent and got a point cut. I will work on the mistakes I committed,” she added.
Fighting for gold, both Borgohain and Qian looked tentative, trying to size each other up. Reigning Asian champion Borgohain hesitated to engage initially, prompting the referee to urge action. Both fighters struggled with accuracy in the first round, marked by clinching. Borgohain received two warnings for holding, and Qian narrowly won the round 3-2. The passive approach continued, resulting in a point deduction for Borgohain, who seemed content with silver. Despite the outcome, Borgohain emphasized her qualification for the Olympics as a significant achievement. Parveen struggles to overcome height disadvantage
Parveen, the 63kg bronze medalist at the 2022 World Championships, faced Lin and lost 5-0. Parveen’s shorter stature at 5’7” disadvantaged her against the taller Lin, making it challenging to land punches. Lin capitalized on her height advantage, consistently connecting with punches from a distance. Parveen attempted a more aggressive approach in the second round, but Lin’s experience and footwork thwarted her efforts.