Easy-going Assam goes on overdrive after Lovlina Borgohain's exploits

Basking in their "daughter's" glory, the normally easy-going people of multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic Assam, in their quaint towns and villages, went into overdrive on Friday after boxer Lovlina Borgohain's Olympic medal-clinching exploits at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lakhya Konwar, general secretary of the Assam Olympic Committee, called it one of the greatest sporting moments for the state.

It came as no surprise when people broke into impromptu celebrations. After all, they witnessed something that had never been experienced before -- seeing one their own assured of a medal at the Olympics.

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The media personnel, with their OB vans made their way into the Borgohain house in Golaghat district's Bara Mukhiya village, barely few hours after the 23-year-old welterweight (69kg) boxer put the hamlet on the Olympic map with her entry into the semifinals in Tokyo.

As the others around his house basked in her daughter's glory, Lovlina's father, Tiken Borgohain, expressed confidence that she will definitely translate the bronze medal into gold with two more victories.

"Her dream is finally realised," Borgahian said of his daughter.

"She started in 2012, and since then, has been working tirelessly to fulfil this goal of reaching the Olympics and winning a medal there," he added.

If Friday's display, highlight of which was her calculative approach, is any indication then a silver or even a gold cannot be ruled out even though a reigning world champion awaits the Indian in the semifinals.

The 23-year-old Assam boxer won 4-1 to make the last-four where she will square off against Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey, who hammered Ukraine's Anna Lysenko in her quarterfinal bout.

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Borgohain senior has faith in his daughter's ability to go all the way and not stop at the bronze.

"She will reach the final I am very sure about that, after winning the semifinal. We spoke to her in the morning and blessed her before the bout," he said.

Borgohain, a two-time world championship bronze-medallist and the first female boxer from Assam to qualify for the Games, displayed tremendous calm in the face of a plucky opponent, who had beaten her four times in the past.

As the news trickled in about her success in Tokyo, locals started flocking to her house and danced on the road, even as microphone-totting reporters and cameramen tried to get their reactions.

Konwar missed the bout as he came back from Tokyo on Thursday night but the official, nevertheless, was delighted that they could play a role in her development.

"It's a really proud moment for not just Assam but the country also. Last four-five years she has been working hard and the Boxing Federation of India and the Assam boxing association has also supported the boxers.

"The BFI has given ample opportunities to the boxers. Since she qualified for the Olympics we knew that she would finish on the podium.

"She was dominating the world number two, and I can tell you that she will easily beat the world number six in the semifinals. We have given her Rs 25 lakh during the lockdown last year."

In support of the boxer just before the Games, Assam Chef Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had flagged off a bicycle rally, calling her the state's "daughter".

Lovlina is the second boxer in the Olympics, after Shiva Thapa, to hail from Assam.