‘Target is to qualify on the first chance’: Lovlina sets sights on LA28 after Asiad gold

Fresh from winning gold at the Asian Games, Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain has already set her sights on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, with the 2027 World Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan emerging as her first opportunity to secure qualification.

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has decided that Asian Games medallists will be among the main entries for the 2027 World Championships, which will serve as the first official qualifying event for LA28.

Lovlina is determined to make the most of that pathway and seal her Olympic berth at the earliest possible opportunity.

“We always try our best to qualify in the first qualification. It is a very good thing for an athlete. The way hockey has done it, they will get a long time to prepare. Our target is to qualify in the first qualification, get a good time and get good results,” Lovlina told IANS.

Early qualification, she believes, would give athletes a longer period to prepare specifically for the Olympics instead of carrying the uncertainty of multiple qualification events.

Her Asian Games triumph has also given her renewed confidence, though Lovlina said she does not view the gold as an opportunity to respond to her disappointment at the Paris Olympics, where she failed to win a medal.

“I have not thought of anything like that. I just said that I have won the moment. This is my medal. I just have to enjoy it. I don’t have to answer anyone. I don’t have to prove anything,” she said.

Lovlina also credited a changing mindset among Indian boxers for the country’s recent success across weight categories. She said athletes in both heavyweight and lightweight divisions work equally hard, but a growing “champion mindset” is helping them convert that effort into results.

“Everyone does the same amount of hard work. Sometimes you get a medal, sometimes you don’t. But the hard work is not less,” she said.

According to Lovlina, government support has also contributed to the improved performances of Indian boxers.

She urged young athletes to develop faith in themselves, regardless of what others say.

“If you think you can do it, then you can do it,” she said.

For Lovlina, the significance of winning for India goes beyond the medal itself. She described hearing the national anthem while the Indian flag is raised on the podium as a dream shared by every athlete.

With LA28 now firmly in her sights, Lovlina wants to turn her Asian Games success into an early Olympic qualification and use the additional preparation time to arrive in Los Angeles ready for another shot at the biggest stage.