As Olympian bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain has noted, winning her first medal at the Commonwealth Games was a first step but her ultimate goal is to win gold at the biggest games. After winning a silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Indian boxing star reflected on the hard work she went through after the Paris Olympics and that she wants to return strong for the upcoming Asian Games.
The 28-year-old boxer spoke after India's boxing contingent met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to celebrate the country's historic campaign at the Commonwealth Games, where Indian boxers won a record 10 medals, including seven golds. While the team had enjoyed one of their best performances, Lovlina admitted that her personal goal had always been the gold medal.
Her silver medal marked a special moment in her career. Although India has been at three Commonwealth Games so far, this was the first time Lovlina had finished on the podium. But she is not satisfied and says there is still room for improvement in the Olympic medallist.
"I have won medals in almost all games and competitions. But yes, it would have been better if I had won gold. So many golds for my team because they have done so well. Seven golds is a big thing for all of us. I’m ready for the Asian Games. I have to do better and win gold," Lovlina said in PTI Videos.
She will be awarded the silver medal because of the emotional and physical hardships she had to overcome after the Paris Olympics. After her quarterfinal exit, she was in a state of limbo when it came to boxing. Injuries, poor form, and a fear of restarting her career all pushed her to try and come back and win the silver medal.
Lovlina said just staying in competitive boxing was great for her in that tough time. She acknowledged the many questions about what she would do next but credits her determination with getting her through the tough times.
"First of all, it was a big deal for me to continue for so long. There were so many ups and downs after the Paris Olympics. There were so many things that came up and down after. So many questions of whether I wanted to continue or not. But I came back and I did. That is a big deal for me," she said.
Lovlina’s resilience has been one of the defining aspects of her career, and since winning the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo, India’s top boxing talent has always been there. The Commonwealth Games silver will take her another important medal to an already impressive collection, even if it didn’t quite match her standards.
India had one of its most successful international campaigns so far, with both experienced campaigners and emerging stars performing very well. Seven gold medals highlighted the country's supremacy in the sport and provided much-needed confidence for the Asian Games and the World Championships.
Santiago Nieva, India's foreign boxing coach, described the campaign of the Commonwealth Games as historic and the team’s cohesion in weight categories as well. Nieva said the results show Indian boxing is moving in the right direction and the results are a good step forward.
"It was a historic result for us. We had some great performances. It gives us a lot of confidence going into the next competitions," Nieva said.
Sakshi’s gold medal winning in the 51kg category was also an incredible achievement that the coach claimed was a testimony of the depth of women’s boxing in India. He also noted that to get into the national team itself it was also a tough task with several world champions and youth world champions.
"I think going into this competition, I was thinking that in women's 51kg we needed to get a gold medal because just to qualify here, in the selection trials we had three world champions and a couple of youth world champions. It was an extremely strong field and she came through there," Nieva said.
As she gears up for the Asian Games, Lovlina’s focus is on turning silver into gold. After having gotten over uncertainty about her future, she is now at the top of her game and ready to stand on the top step of the podium.
For Indian boxing, the Commonwealth Games have supported the growing global profile of the country. For Lovlina Borgohain, however, the silver medal is only in the process of getting the gold medal she is hoping to win.
