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India's ace boxer Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the women's 75kg final at the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Kazakhstan's Natalya Bogdanova 3-2 in a split decision in the semifinal on Wednesday.
The Indian boxer overcame a tough challenge from Bogdanova in a closely contested bout to secure her place in the gold medal match. Lovlina started the contest cautiously, with both boxers taking time to find their rhythm and limiting their attacking moves in the opening round. Bogdanova showed more intent and took the first round 3-2. The Indian boxer bounced back strongly in the second round, landing effective punches and showing greater aggression. Despite Bogdanova's attempts to finish the round with a flurry of punches, Lovlina's improved performance earned her a 5-0 decision in the second round, giving her the advantage going into the final round. In the third and final round, Bogdanova continued to push forward, while Lovlina focused on her defence and counter-attacks. The Kazakh boxer landed a strong left hook, but Lovlina responded with her own counters and held her composure to secure a 3-2 split decision victory. India are having a strong outing at the Asian Games 2026, with archery delivering two gold medals and boxing adding another medal to the country's tally. In archery, India defeated South Korea to win the gold medal in the compound mixed team event. The duo of Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi overcame South Korea in a thrilling final after a shoot-off. Earlier, Sahil and Chikitha defeated Thailand 156-155 in the semifinal. The Indian women's compound archery team comprising Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep also clinched the gold medal after defeating China 238-234 in the final. The trio had earlier beaten South Korea 234-233 in the semifinal. In boxing, Priya lost to China's Yang Chengyu in the women's 60kg semifinal, securing a bronze medal for India. Meanwhile, Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the women's 75kg final after defeating Kazakhstan's Natalya Bogdanova 3-2 in a split decision. In squash, the Indian women's team secured a medal after defeating Singapore 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Tanvi Khanna and Anahat Singh won their respective singles matches to help India progress. In wrestling, Sunil Kumar defeated Tajikistan's Mohammad Sultonzoda 9-0 in the men's Greco-Roman 87kg quarterfinal before losing to Japan's Taizo Yoshida in the semifinal. Sunil will now compete in the bronze medal bout. Nisha Dahiya lost in the women's freestyle 68kg round of 16 and later suffered defeat in the repechage round. In tennis, Dhakshineshwar Suresh lost to Tseng Chun-hsin in the men's singles third round. In canoe slalom, Pradhyumna Singh Rathod qualified for the men's kayak single final. Cycling saw mixed results, with Keerthy Rangaswamy Chikka advancing to the women's keirin semifinal after progressing through repechage, while Sarita Kumari was eliminated. In men's sprint qualification, Ronaldo Singh and David Beckham finished 15th and 14th respectively before being eliminated in the Round of 16 repechages. In judo, Asmita Dey lost to Kazakhstan's Abiba Abu Zhakynova by ippon in the women's 48kg quarterfinal. In sepaktakraw, India's men's team defeated Laos 2-0 in the quadrant group stage, while the women's team lost 0-2 to Vietnam in Group A. (ANI)
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