Lovlina Borgohain secured a decisive victory over Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad in the Round of 16 of the women’s 75kg prelims at the Paris 2024 Olympics, putting her one win away from clinching a medal.
In the initial rounds, Hofstad struggled to counter Borgohain’s powerful punches, with the Indian boxer effectively leveraging her height to deliver crucial strikes. Despite Hofstad’s attempt to disrupt Borgohain with a series of rapid punches in the first round, Borgohain’s effective jabs and a right hook ensured she gained the upper hand.
Borgohain continued her aggressive approach in the second round, landing significant blows that visibly affected Hofstad. Although Hofstad attempted a comeback in the third round, it was not sufficient to alter the outcome.
The judges awarded a unanimous 5-0 decision in favor of Borgohain. She is set to face the top-seeded Chinese boxer, Li Qian, in the quarterfinals on August 4 at 15:02 IST. Li Qian previously defeated Borgohain at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
A win in the quarterfinal would guarantee Borgohain a medal, potentially marking her second Olympic medal, following her bronze at Tokyo 2020.
