Assam govt announces cash award for Lovlina Borgohain

Guwahati: The Assam government on Wednesday announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh for Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain for winning the gold medal in the women’s world championship in New Delhi.

State Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made this announcement during the ongoing Budget Session of the Assam Assembly.

Lovlina defeated two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Caitlin Anne Parker of Australia in a close summit clash of the 75kg category at the IBA women’s World Boxing Championship in the national capital on Sunday.

“Lovlina has made us proud and the Assam Assembly today unanimously decided to award her Rs 50 lakh. Borgohain is the first Assamese sportsperson to clinch a medal in the Olympics and now a gold at the World Boxing Championship. This is a very special moment for us,” Sarma said.

The 25-year-old from Golaghat is expected to land in the city on Wednesday and will be felicitated by the Assam Amateur Boxing Association (AABA) here on Thursday.

For the Assamese pugilist, the World Championship gold helped her break the jinx of bronze medals at global tournaments that includes two at the World Championships in 2018 and 2019, and the third at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 which earned her global recognition.

In a social media post on Tuesday, the lanky boxer said that the next few months will be crucial for her as she begins her preparations for the Asian Games. Interestingly, Lovlina returned to social media after a prolonged absence as part of her preparations for the world championships.

According to the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) rules, the world championship gold medal allowed her a direct entry to the Hangzhou Asian Games, the first qualifying event for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Lovlina and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg) gained automatic selection for the continental games scheduled later this year in the Chinese city.

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