- NET Web Desk
On August 3, Lovlina Borgohain, the 23-yr-old pugilist from Golaghat district, Assam who bagged the bronze Olympic medal, had a philosopher, from Burtuk area of Gangtok, closely following her match.
None other than, Sandhya Gurung, Lovlina’s coach, who was filled with extreme pride, witnessing her student achieve the feat.
Gurung, a former national-level boxer and Borgohain’s coach, has closely observed her journey, and the transformation Lovlina went through.
Lovlina, who sealed her target to Olympics, etched a tattoo on the same. A tall shy girl, her height always proved an advantage.
During an interview with ESPN, “She had everything, but she was scared. It was okay against weaker opponents. She’d still win against them. But the moment you put her in the ring with a real threat – in an actual pressure situation, she would panic.”
Lovlina’s physical attributes and ability were just perfect for her opponents to bring down. Sandhya stated that, Lovlina would shave her hair off entirely in 2018 but maintained a short-crop length thereafter. This was when Sandhya began telling Lovlina that she was a lion in the ring.
This was because it got into her way when she boxed, such was her determination. – asserted by Sandhya.
Meanwhile, Sandhya’s tale was not so fairy, rather a struggle, one could not even think of. She fought paralysis due to road accident, who later remained bed-ridden for three years before she even got into the sport.
She later achieved the feat to become a national-level boxer winning a bronze medal in the National Championships and finishing up her career in 2008 before getting into coaching. Later, she was selected as a coach for the national camp.
