Guwahati, May 16: Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain has earned qualification for both the 2026 Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games after sealing her place in India’s boxing squad in the women’s 75 kg category during the national selection trials held in Patiala.
The upcoming Commonwealth Games 2026 are scheduled to begin in Glasgow on July 23, while the Asian Games 2026 will commence on September 19 in Japan.
Lovlina underlined her strong position in Indian women’s boxing with a dominant display in the 75 kg final, defeating Sanamacha Chanu by a unanimous 5-0 margin.
Several other boxers also secured qualification for both multi-sport events amid intense competition and changes in weight divisions during the trials. These included Sakshi Chaudhary, Jadumani Singh and Narender Berwal.
Additionally, world championship bronze medallist Parveen Hooda in the 65 kg category, along with Sumit Kundu (70 kg), Ankush (80 kg) and Kapil Pokhariya (90 kg), booked places in the Indian contingent after winning their respective finals.
Reigning national champion Aditya Pratap Singh, however, secured qualification only for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The trials were held amid uncertainty surrounding the selection process after the Sports Authority of India suspended the assessment-based selection mechanism introduced by the Boxing Federation of India during the camp, leading to a return to the traditional trial-based system.
Lovlina, who is also a former world champion and a bronze medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, had narrowly missed direct qualification through the Asian Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar last month after failing to reach the final stage. Under the federation’s policy, only finalists at the continental championship automatically qualified in categories common to both the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
The 28-year-old boxer, who also claimed silver at the 2023 Asian Games, eventually secured her place through a convincing performance in the national trials.
