Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain, a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, saw her journey at the Paris Games come to an end on Sunday after a hard-fought quarterfinal loss to China's Li Qian in the women's 75kg category.
Borgohain, who is the reigning world champion, lost the match 1-4 to the Tokyo Games silver medalist in a bout marked by repeated cautions for clinching and holding.
This defeat concluded India's boxing campaign at the current Olympics, following the exit of Nishant Dev from the men's 71kg quarterfinals on Saturday night. A six-member boxing team, consisting of four women and two men, represented India, with four of them being eliminated in the preliminary stages.
The match began at a brisk pace, with both Borgohain and Qian engaging quickly but hesitating to launch the first attack. The bout soon became entangled, leading to frequent interventions by the referee to separate the fighters. Qian, displaying determination, landed clean combination punches and a left hook, securing a 3-2 lead at the end of the first round.
In the second round, Qian's purposeful approach continued, with her right straights finding their mark. Borgohain was cautioned twice for excessive holding. Despite a similar 3-2 score in favor of Qian, the judges' scores indicated a narrow lead, with one card showing a one-point advantage and the other four being tied.
The third round saw both fighters looking fatigued, with continued holding and clinching. Qian managed to maintain her distance, controlling the pace and effectively counter-attacking Borgohain. Borgohain struggled to control the bout's tempo, taking several hits on counter-attacks.
Borgohain's loss to Qian is not unprecedented. She was defeated by Qian in the Asian Games final last year and later avenged this loss in the semifinals of the world championship in 2023. However, Qian triumphed once more in a pre-Olympic tournament in Czechia in June, setting the stage for her latest victory.
With Borgohain's exit, India's hopes for a boxing medal at the Paris Olympics have been dashed, marking the end of their campaign in the sport at this year's Games.