Kumar Bahukhandi
India’s Lovlina Borgohain celebrates inside the boxing ring. The Olympic medallist defeated China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 to clinch the women’s 75kg gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan on Friday, October 2.
Indian star defeats China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 on her 29th birthday, becoming only the second Indian woman boxer after Mary Kom to win Asian Games gold
Key Highlights
- Lovlina Borgohain defeated China’s Bao Ziyi by a 5-0 unanimous decision in the women’s 75kg final.
- The victory came on Lovlina’s 29th birthday, October 2.
- It is her first Asian Games gold, improving upon her silver at the previous edition.
- She becomes only the second Indian woman boxer after MC Mary Kom to win an Asian Games gold medal.
- The victory ended India’s 12-year wait for a women’s boxing gold at the Asian Games.
Nishio, Japan: Indian boxing star Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday in memorable fashion on Friday, clinching the women’s 75kg gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games with a commanding victory over China’s Bao Ziyi.
The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist secured a 5-0 unanimous decision in the final at Nishio City General Gymnasium, adding a first Asian Games gold to an already distinguished international career.
Lovlina controlled the contest against Bao, taking a closely fought opening round before establishing a clearer advantage over the remaining two rounds. Four judges scored the bout 29-28 in the Indian’s favour, while the fifth returned a 30-27 scorecard.
The triumph also marked an improvement on Lovlina’s silver medal at the previous Asian Games. She is now only the second Indian woman boxer to capture Asian Games gold, following Mary Kom’s victory in 2014
Her path to the title included a 5-0 quarter-final victory over South Korea’s Seong Suyeon and a closely contested 3-2 split-decision win over Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova in the semi-final.
The gold adds another major achievement to the Assamese boxer’s career. Lovlina won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics and became world champion in the 75kg category in 2023.
For Indian women’s boxing, the result carries additional significance: it ends a 12-year wait for an Asian Games gold since Mary Kom’s triumph and gives Lovlina the gold that had eluded her at the continental Games.
