Union Sports Minister Mandaviya congratulates Lovlina, Dhiraj-Kumkum for historic Asian Games medals
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya celebrates Lovlina Borgohain's historic boxing gold and the mixed archery silver at the Asian Games 2026.
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has showered praise on Indian athletes following a series of historic achievements at the ongoing Asian Games 2026. The Minister specifically lauded boxer Lovlina Borgohain for her monumental gold medal win and the archery duo of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod for their landmark silver medal performance.
A Birthday to Remember for Lovlina
In a performance that will be etched in sporting history, Lovlina Borgohain secured India's first-ever gold medal in the women's 75kg boxing category. Making the feat even more special, the victory came on her 29th birthday.
Facing China's Bao Ziyi in the gold-medal bout, Lovlina displayed tactical brilliance and composure. While Bao attempted to dominate the early stages with an aggressive flurry of punches, Lovlina remained patient, utilizing her signature counter-punching to dismantle the Chinese opponent's momentum.
The Road to Gold
The bout unfolded in three intense rounds:
- Round 1: Lovlina weathered an early storm from Bao to edge the round 3-2.
- Round 2: As Bao pressed forward, Lovlina found her rhythm, landing cleaner shots to win the round 4-1.
- Round 3: Maintaining her strategic discipline, Lovlina avoided heavy damage and controlled the pace, securing a unanimous 5-0 victory on the judges' scorecards.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mandaviya expressed his pride, stating, "HISTORIC GOLD FOR BHARAT! Heartiest congratulations to Lovlina Borgohain... The entire nation is proud of you!"
Archery Duo Clinches Historic Silver
The celebrations continued as the mixed recurve archery team, consisting of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod, secured India's first-ever silver medal in this event. Despite a valiant effort, they fell 3-5 to the Chinese pair of Zhu Jingyi and Li Mengqi in a high-stakes final.
The match was a rollercoaster of emotions for the Indian contingent. After defeating Japan 5-3 in the semifinals, the duo faced an uphill battle against a dominant Chinese side that took an early 4-0 lead in the sets.
The Indian Fightback
Refusing to concede easily, Dhiraj and Kumkum mounted a significant comeback in the latter half of the match:
- Third Set: India responded strongly with a score of 37, while China managed 36, bringing the match to 2-4.
- Fourth Set: In a nail-biting finale, India posted 37 points. China needed 19 points from their final two arrows to clinch the gold, but despite a 10 from Li, they could only reach 37, resulting in a tie for the set and a 5-3 victory for China.
While the silver medal marks a historic milestone for Indian archery, the result means India missed out on the automatic Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification quota, which was secured by the gold-winning Chinese pair.
Mandaviya congratulated the archers, noting, "A HISTORIC SILVER FOR BHARAT! Congratulations to Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod on securing the first-ever Silver Medal in the Recurve Mixed Team event."