Nagoya: Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday in style on Friday, outclassing China's Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women's 75kg final to claim gold at the Asian Games 2026.

Lovlina delivered a masterclass in composure throughout the title bout, deploying sharp counter-punching tactics to neutralise her opponent's aggressive approach and seal a unanimous victory, according to ESPN.

The Chinese boxer came out aggressively in the opening round, firing a barrage of combinations, but Lovlina stayed composed and capitalised on counter-attacking openings to edge the round 3-2.

Bao continued her front-foot assault in the second round, yet Lovlina grew into the contest, landing the cleaner scoring strikes to take the frame 4-1 and extend her advantage on the judges' scorecards to 2-0.

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With the gold medal within reach, the Indian boxer maintained her tactical discipline in the final round. She allowed Bao to push forward while absorbing minimal damage, picking her moments to land sharp counter-punches. The judges unanimously awarded her the final round, completing a 5-0 victory to secure the Asian Games title.

The gold medal caps an impressive tournament run for Lovlina, who secured her place in the final after overcoming Kazakhstan's Natalya Bogdanova via a 3-2 split decision in the semi-finals. That victory made her the first Indian female boxer to reach back-to-back Asian Games finals.

Born on 2 October 1997 in Assam's Golaghat district, Lovlina previously earned silver in the women's 75kg division at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Her decorated resume also includes a bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the 2023 world championship title in the 75kg category, gold at the 2022 Asian Championships, and silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

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Her latest Asian Games triumph adds another illustrious chapter to a career already recognised with India's Arjuna Award in 2020 and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021.

The gold medal boosts India's overall medal count at the Aichi-Nagoya Games to 70 medals, comprising 12 gold, 24 silver, and 34 bronze.

ANI