Girls, guts and glory!

Lovlina (centre) with sisters Lima (left) and Licha

Being a girl child in India can be tough, not just for the girl alone, but also for her family. So when that girl rises above it all to win an Olympic medal, it's the perfect slap or in this case, shall we say a knock-out punch, across the faces of discriminators.

India boxer Lovlina Borgohain, 23, who won a bronze medal (69kg category) in Tokyo, is obviously happy to have done her country proud, but she's even more satisfied to have shut the mouths of those who felt that a girl child is disadvantageous to the family.

Parental support

"Back in the day, my parents were always pitied for having three daughters and no son. But they never felt that way and always encouraged me and my elder twin sisters [Lima and Licha] to do something to prove all these people wrong. So, today I'm very proud that Lima is serving the Central Industrial Security Force [CISF], Licha is with the Border Security Force [BSF] and I am part of Assam Police [she was appointed Deputy Superintendent after her Tokyo success]," Lovlina, who hails from Assam's Golaghat region, told mid-day on Thursday.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain celebrates her bronze medal-winning effort on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics recently. Pic/AFP

"While I was growing up, our family made several sacrifices and faced extreme struggles. The journey was not easy, but my parents [mum Mamoni and dad Tiken] are very happy now and proud of all three of us. We have fulfilled their dream and again proved to the society that girls can also be tough and are capable of doing everything.

We sisters share a very close bond and are always there to support each other. Licha and Lima introduced me to sports when they took me along as a kid to play Muay Thai [kickboxing]. They were good at it and went on to play the nationals while I switched to boxing. I am proud of my sisters, who have great physical and mental strength. Walking in their footsteps, I too would like to use my strength to serve my country and bring honour to my family," added Lovlina, who went down to Turkey's world and Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli in the semi-finals in Tokyo.

Eyeing that Olympic gold

Her prestigious, high-ranking, new job notwithstanding, Lovlina made it clear that boxing will continue to be passionately pursued. "My dream is to win a gold medal at the Olympics. I feel I have two more chances to turn this dream into reality. The approach towards my new job as DSP will be simple - give it my best shot - but will not let it be an obstacle on my way to that Olympic gold medal," she remarked.

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