Tokyo Olympics 2020 seems to be one of the most happening sports events from an Indian point of view. “Lovlina Borgohain”, a name that has secured a medal for India, and with India sending one of its biggest contingents this time around the nation awaits at least 5 medals. So, let’s have a look at the boxing contingent and their current positions: –
Lovlina Borgohain: –
At the 69kg Women’s boxing event, a lesser-known face Lovlina represented India. An Olympian who has nothing to lose consequently has the world to gain. And this is exactly what happened with her. Beginning the campaign against Apetz from Germany, Lovlina got through this cutthroat game on a 3-2 margin. Next up was Chinese Taipei’s, Chen Nien Chin. She was beaten comprehensively by a 4-1 margin!! With her being in the last-4 and with boxing, not having a 3rd place game, Lovlina has secured a medal for the Indian contingent.
Mary Kom: –
India’s flag-bearer at this year’s Olympics and already a legend in the true sense, Mary Kom has won several hearts at the Olympics!! At 38, a mom of 3 kids, Mary started her Tokyo campaign on a positive note. It began with her beating Dominic Republic’s Miguelina Hernandez 4-1. This win was quite comprehensive with Mary mostly was on the offense and gave only a fraction of seconds for her opponent to respond. This got her a spot in the pre-quarters. The pre-quarters in fact were the event that caught many eyeballs. The round was against Colombian Ingrid Valencia.
It was a closely fought tussle. Mary won two of the 3 bouts, yet was declared the loser on basis of points. However, graceful as ever, Mary decided the jury in the spirit of the game and bowed out of the ring with a bright smile on her face!! Even though she lost the match, she definitely won the hearts of over a billion all over the world.
Pooja Rani: –
Similar to Lovlina and Mary, Pooja’s campaign also got a “Shubh Shuruvat” with her beating Ichrak Chaib of Algeria 5-0. It was a one-sided contest with Chaib finding it difficult to realize from where the punches were coming from!! Next up was China’s Qian Li. Ranked at #3 in this category I.e., the Women’s 75 kg, Qian Li crushed to victory in thumping fashion as the scoreline read 5-0. This happened in the quarter-final event and if Pooja could have gone through this contest a medal for her would have been certain too…
Simranjeet Kaur: –
India’s contender in the Women’s 60 kg, Simranjeet hails from Punjab. Her Olympic journey began with a bronze medalist from the 2018 world championships on a sour note as she fell short against Thai Boxer Sudaporn Seesondee. When the final hooter went up the scoresheet read 5-0 Seesondee!
In conclusion, I would say that although the results for the boxing contingent didn’t pan out as expected, the team has a lot to gain. With a young crop of boxers, a future medal looks more certain.