CHENNAI: With just nine minutes of ring time at the international level this year, Lovlina Borgohain was predominantly in the background this year. But the Olympic medallist, who made a quiet exit during the World Championships at Liverpool in September, is calm as they come. The period of inactivity might have hurt her reputation but she is far from worried. Off the ring, it was a significant year for the soft-spoken pugilist from Assam, a year that she set in motion her dreams of establishing a platform for young aspirants in her hometown by launching her academy -- Lovlina Borgohain Boxing Academy in Barchandra, North Guwahati.
In doing so, the Khel Ratna Award winner has learnt invaluable lessons and she is naturally stoked to make notable strides in her life.
Acknowledging that laying the foundation for the said academy had forced her to cut down on her training, she is now geared up to put everything aside and focus on her boxing ahead of 2026. Lovlina's immediate challenge will be the national championships, which is scheduled to be held from January 4 to 10 at Greater Noida. In a freewheeling chat with this daily, the 28-year-old spoke about her dreams, both on and off the ring and she also touched upon the challenges she has faced over the years and the significance of speaking up for oneself. Excerpts...
You were largely on the sidelines this year, how would you sum up your year?
It was a good year. I had certain dreams, I wanted to open an academy and I worked on that. It was a special moment, starting the academy. I have been training alongside too as there are big competitions coming up. The year 2026 will be vital as there are competitions like Asian Games, CWG and Asian Championships. Before that, there's a national meet and I'm preparing for that. I have plenty of hopes for the New Year. This year was also very productive and I got to learn a great deal. When you take up more responsibilities, it gets more exciting as you get a chance to grow as a person. My dream was to lay a platform for youngsters from the Northeast and now that process has begun.
Now, there's another academy (international standard facility in Palasbari, Guwahati) coming up soon, it will be bigger and better. It will be a tie-up with the Assam government and it will begin soon. The current academy is much smaller. The one that will come up will be like the Centre of Excellence. At the moment, we have around 60-plus students.
On what inspired her to do what she has been doing -- looking to lay a platform for young kids...
As a sportsperson, most of us tend to think we can evolve to become a coach and impart lessons. But what I feel is better is that I can become a coach but I want to build a platform where it's possible to generate plenty of employment and a lot of people can be involved in sports. I also wanted to work on the grassroots and this is achievable through this (academy). Of course, I have my Olympic dream. That is also in my mind. So the upcoming year is going to be very important.
The place where I come from, I genuinely believe that I was not different from anyone else. Like me, there were many kids who could do well. In my village (she is originally from Baromukhia, Golaghat district in Assam), the kids tend to turn hopeless and they have no dreams. If such talents can be given a space to express themselves, it will be a very big thing for me.
Also, my dream is to visit different villages and build small centres where kids can get basic facilities in order to train. It's not just the kids, aspiring coaches can also learn and grow, senior players can also get a role of some kind in the academy. It's a big dream.
On her targets inside the ring going forward...
One thing is clear, when I'm boxing, I'll have to leave everything behind. I have to focus on my own game as well. Hence, I had been looking to build a strong team. If I'm in the camp, I'll be 100 per cent committed to my game. I can't do two things at once. I'm a firm believer that we can only focus on one thing. My big targets as of now are the CWG and Asian Games.
I have to work on my strength. When we take a break, we tend to lose muscles and the strength tends to go down in the process. So I need to dedicate some time to regain my muscles. It generally takes time to build muscles. Otherwise, I have the experience and have learnt to handle many other aspects of the sport. But still you have to keep learning. We also keep picking up new stuff in regards to technique. Since I have started just now, I'm mainly looking at strength and endurance. But when the national camp begins, I'll look at other aspects as well.
On youngsters like Jaismine Lamboria and Meenakshi Hooda who were the standouts of 2025...
The youngsters are hardworking and have done really well. The competition level has also risen. Youth boxers have also pushed the seniors and they have that hunger and aggression in their games. If we continue to stay competitive in the domestic circuit, we will do even better at the international level.
On her mantra for success...
I have always focussed in the process. Be it the Tokyo Olympics or Paris Games, I always trusted the process. I set a goal, but the process that I follow in order to achieve the goal is more important for me. I have always looked to improve each new day. This process is my hunger that keeps me going. Goal and performance will be visible eventually, process is of utmost importance.
On her coaches and her equation with them
I have had so many coaches over the years and I have learnt a lot from each one of them. For me, I find it difficult to operate without a coach. I prefer to work under someone's guidance. For now, I'm training with Pranamika (Boro) madam, she has a good level of experience and she understands me a great deal. And I think it's important for the coach to understand their students. Sandhya ma'am (former coach Sandhya Gurung) used to understand me very well. Now I have that comfort zone. In the coming days, if it's possible, she'll hopefully be around. Or else, the foreign coach (Santiago Nieva) will also be there. When I won a medal in Tokyo, he was there as a high performance director. I have a good equation with him. Moreover, he went on to do very well with Australia.
On importance of taking stand for oneself (there are instances when Lovlina has raised her voice when she felt there's injustice)
You have to fight for yourself and I'll keep doing that. The system is such that if you don't fight for yourself, nobody will come to take a stand for you. So I'll always be ready to take a stand for myself and the people around me. It's important. Earlier, to make a simple conversation I used to think at least ten times. Certain situations have taught me too. If I have aspirations to become a leader, if I'm thinking of employing many people through the academy, then I have to learn to take a stand for them too. It's easy to manage your own responsibilities but to take responsibility for many, it will be highly important.
On activities that have helped her stay positive...
I do meditation and yoga. It helps me stay positive and also helps me ensure that I can work properly. Earlier, I used to get frustrated due to many things. Now, to use your head and find a solution in a calm manner, it becomes easy after meditation. On top of training, I do yoga and that has become a big part of my life now. And it will always remain that way.
