How Lovlina Borgohain won India’s 2026 Commonwealth Games medal before the opening ceremony

India has reason to celebrate at the 2026 Commonwealth Games even before the opening ceremony takes place. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain became the country’s first guaranteed medalist after securing direct passage to the semi-finals of the women’s 75kg category on Thursday 23 July.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026: INDIA’S AGENDA

The Olympic medalist made it to the final four in her category, which means she is assured of at least a bronze medal. In the Commonwealth Games boxing format, both losing semi-finalists receive bronze medals, meaning Lovlina is guaranteed a place on the podium before she steps into the ring in Glasgow.

Now, Lovlina will begin their campaign on July 31 against TKBP Taafaki, where they are up for a place in the fight for gold. A win takes the Indian boxer into the finals, while a loss would still see her return with the bronze medal she has already secured.

HOW DID LOVLINA GET TO THE SEMI-FINALS?

Lovlina, seeded No. 1 in the women’s 75kg middleweight division, advanced directly to the semi-finals after receiving a bye in a field of five boxers. With only five athletes competing in the division, three, including an Indian, have earned direct semi-final berths, while the remaining two will compete in a lone quarter-final.

It will come as a welcome relief for India as it will boost their hopes of crossing the 30-medal mark this time around. India finished with 61 medals in Birmingham last time, but with the Glasgow event reduced to just 10, there were doubts whether the nation could repeat the same form it showed four years ago.

Wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey and cricket all brought medals to India, and none of them are part of the event list this time. All these events combined gave India a total of 28 medals in Birmingham.

Athletics and weightlifting do have hope, but this time every medal counts and the Indian contingent will bid farewell to Lovlina. Boxer from Assam will also one of India’s flag bearers during Thursday’s opening ceremony.

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Published on:

23 Jul 2026 14:02 IST