Lovlina, Sakshi seal India spots for Asian Games and CWG with dominant trial wins

Patiala- Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and emerging talent Sakshi Chaudhary booked their places in India’s boxing squads for the 2026 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games after standout performances at the national selection trials in Patiala on Friday.

Former world champion Lovlina looked in complete control in the women’s 75kg final, beating Sanamacha Chanu 5-0 to secure qualification for both marquee events.

The 28-year-old had narrowly missed direct qualification at last month’s Asian Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar after falling short of the final. Under the Boxing Federation of India’s selection rules, only finalists at the continental meet earned automatic qualification in categories included at both the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

After settling for silver at the 2023 Asian Games and missing out on a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Lovlina made sure there were no slip-ups this time around as she comfortably topped the trials.

The women’s 51kg division turned out to be one of the biggest talking points of the event. Sakshi continued her impressive run by defeating reigning 48kg world champion Minakshi Hooda 5-0 in the final.

Earlier in the semifinals, Sakshi had stunned two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen with a 4-1 victory, underlining her rapid rise in Indian boxing.

Minakshi, meanwhile, had reached the final after beating former world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nitu Ghanghas in the last four. Although she won gold in the 48kg category at the Asian Boxing Championships, that weight division is not part of the Asian Games or Commonwealth Games roster, forcing her to compete in the 51kg class.

Several Indian boxers had already earned qualification through their performances at the Asian Championships. These included Sachin Siwach (men’s 60kg), Preeti Pawar (women’s 54kg) and Priya Ghanghas (women’s 60kg), all of whom reached the finals in Ulaanbaatar.

Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) and Aditya Pratap Singh (65kg) qualified only for the Commonwealth Games because their categories are not included in the Asian Games programme.

World championship bronze medallist Parveen Hooda and Asian Games medallist Narender Berwal also confirmed their berths by winning their respective trial bouts.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, while the 2026 Asian Games are scheduled in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.

With inputs from IANS