Guwahati, Aug 2: Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain dedicated her silver medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 to the food-affected people of Assam, saying her achievement belongs to everyone who supported her journey.
Lovlina, who lost 4-1 by split decision to Australia’s Emma-Sue Greentree in the women’s 75kg boxing final, said her thoughts are with every family affected by the devastating floods.
“My thoughts and prayers are with each and every family during this difficult time. I pray for Assam’s fast recovery and hope, life returns to normal for everyone soon. This medal also belongs to everyone who has been a part of my journey,” she said on Sunday.
The closely fought final at the SEC Centre, Glasgow, saw Greentree make a strong start, using aggressive tactics and clean punching to take the opening round 4-1.
Lovlina responded impressively in the second round despite receiving a warning for an accidental punch to the back of Greentree’s head. The Assamese boxer fought back with determination to level the contest, taking the bout into the final round.
Greentree, however, regained control in the closing three minutes and landed cleaner punches to earn the verdict of four of the five judges to claim the Gold.
Reflecting on her campaign, Lovlina expressed gratitude to India’s women’s head coach Santiago Nieva and the entire support staff.
“A special congratulations and heartfelt thank you to our head coach, Santiago Sir. He is an exceptional coach whose dedication, knowledge, and belief in us have played a huge role in our success,” she said.
Expressing gratitude to all the coaches and support staff at the Indian national camp, Lovlina praised their hard work, commitment, and constant support. “It prepared us to perform our best on the biggest stages,” she added.
While admitting how a gold medal would have made the occasion even more special, the boxer said she is proud of India’s overall performance in the sport.
“Winning seven gold medals and three silver medals is a historic achievement, the first time in history. I would like to congratulate every member of our team on this remarkable success,” she added.
Despite missing out on the title, the silver is a landmark achievement for Lovlina. It’s her first Commonwealth Games medal after quarterfinal exits at Gold Coast in 2018 and Birmingham in 2022.
With this win, she also became only the third Assamese to win a CWG medal after Jayanta Talukdar, who won archery bronze in 2010 and Nayanmoni Saikia, a member of India’s historic lawn bowls gold medal-winning team in 2022.