Asian Games: Priya and Lovlina storm into semis as Indian boxers continue to secure medals in Aichi-Nagoya

Priya Ghanghas and Lovlina Borgohain NEW DELHI: India’s boxing campaign at the 2026 Asian Games continued to gather momentum as Priya Ghanghas and Lovlina Borgohain made it to the semi-finals on Monday, securing two more medals in the ring for the country. The duo’s win added to an already growing list of Indian boxers reaching the last four, underscoring the sport’s contribution to India’s medal haul at Aichi-Nagoya.Lovlina, a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, reached the women’s 75kg quarter-finals with a 5-0 unanimous decision victory over South Korea’s Seong Suyeon. The win guaranteed the Assam boxer at least a bronze medal and a second place on the Asian Games podium after silver in Hangzhou in 2023.Priya followed that up with another 5-0 victory as she overcame Tajikistan’s Mijgona Samad in the women’s 60kg quarter-final to book her place in the last four.Asian Games full coverage | Medal Tally | Schedule

Lovlina secures her second Asiad medal in a row

In her first match of the tournament, Lovlina started aggressively against Seong, repeatedly using a combination of jabs and crosses to unsettle the South Korean. Although Seong tried to use her height advantage and landed a flurry of punches in the second round, movement and cleaner combinations kept her in check with Lovlina.The Indian continued to find openings with her crosses and hooks before finishing quickly with quick 1-2 combinations. The judges awarded her all three rounds, giving her a 5-0 overall victory.For Lovlina, the medal continues an impressive run across major international competitions. She had won silver at the previous Asian Games and also won silver at the Commonwealth Games last month, adding to the medals won at the World Championships, Asian Championships and World Championships.In the semi-finals, Lovlina will face reigning world champion up to 70 kg Natalya Bogdanova from Kazakhstan.

Priya joins the growing list of Indian semi-finalists

Asian Championship gold medalist and reigning Commonwealth Games champion Priya also secured a place on the podium with a unanimous decision against Samadova.Her progress means India now has several boxers assured of medals, with Parveen Hooda (65kg), Ankush Panghal (80kg) and Narender Berwal (+90kg) already entering the semi-finals on Sunday.Parveen defeated Uzbekistan’s World Championship silver medalist Navbakhor Khamidova 5-0, while Ankush recorded a similar unanimous decision win over Tajikistan’s Nekruz Salimov. Narender also advanced to the last four in the +90kg category.India returned from the previous Asian Games with four boxing medals, including one silver and three bronze. With the Aichi-Nagoya competition still a few rounds away, the Indian boxing contingent has already geared up for another major contribution to the country’s medal tally.Kapil Pokhariya is also in action in the men’s 90kg quarter-finals on Monday, giving India another opportunity to add to the growing list of semi-finalists.