HIGHLIGHTS

• Lovlina is the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh and Mary Kom to win an Olympic medal
• Ajay Singh said that he wants the boxers in Tokyo to fight fearlessly
• Pooja Rani (75kg) and Satish Kumar (91kg+) are also one win away from sealing a medal for themselves

Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh admitted that he was nervous while watching Lovlina Borgohain’s quarter-final bout at the Tokyo Olympics. Lovlina beat Taiwanese world champion Nien-Chin Chen to progress to the medal rounds, this becoming India’s first Olympic medal winner in boxing since Mary Kom in 2012.

“I was terribly nervous. We all know the capabilities of Lovlina but we had the jitters. She did us proud, fought fearlessly and I think if this is the way she will fight in the semi-finals then we have a shot at gold,” Singh told India Today.

“Incredibly proud of her. Moment of great pride for not only the sport of boxing but for Lovlina’s village, her state and the entire country. I think (it’s a) wonderful sign of things to come from boxing,” he further said.

Pooja Rani (75kg) and Satish Kumar (91kg+) are also one win away from sealing a medal for themselves, while Amit Panghal, the top seed in the 52kg category, also begins his campaign on Saturday.

“We can only hope for the best, these are all tough fights. Lovlina today beat the reigning world champion to reach the medal rounds. Pooja is also up against the No.2 seeded boxer. Satish is up against the world champion; all tough fights. We will hope for the best, our boxers are well prepared, they have trained incredibly hard. They have been setback a little bit by Covid but I think their mental condition is very good and they are winners,” he said.

“Amit is one of the top ranked boxers in the world so of course, hopes are very high. But I don’t want to put the burden of expectations on the boxers. I tell them to go out and fight fearlessly for their country and forget about what happens. That is the spirit with which I hope they fight,” said Singh.