Lovlina Borgohain became the third Indian to secure a medal during Tokyo Olympics 2020 – and the first ever from her state Assam.
Lovlina’s father, Tiken Borgohain is swamped with joy. His house in a small village called Baromukhia, in India’s northeastern state of Assam, is nowadays besieged with guests and journalists. Outside his house, workers are busy repairing 600 meters of the access road which will connect to the main road. “My daughter is coming home,” Borgohain told VICE World News. In Lovlina’s success, her village sees a glory, as more and more people hear her story of determination, many see it as a big inspiration for people who live in rural and remote areas.
Biswajit Phukan, a member of BJP declared that it will fix the street that prompts the Olympian’s home, to praise her accomplishment. The decision was made on July 30 when Lovlina defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen during the quarterfinals. The same day, a heavy downpour had wrecked the road leading to her home.
With a population of 3.09 crores, Assam lacks substantial configuration and expansion in most parts, though roads are promised before elections still nothing is done. Few districts also lack electricity and water. “It’s a village road, so it keeps getting wrecked every time it rains. It’s been like this for as long as I can remember,” said Borgohain in the same interview, who works in a tea garden. Tiken Borgohain raised Lovlina and two other daughters in financial hardship. “Sometimes, it would be riddled with potholes. I’ve taken my kids on my motorcycle on that road, and it was impossible to ride on”, he added.
Lovlina began her training in 2012 under her coach Padum Boro. Boro took her under after she displayed a majestic performance in the trials at her high school by the Sports Authority of India. 2018 led to substantial development of her career when she won the bronze medal at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. She repeated her feat again in 2019 and was conferred the Arjuna Award by President Ram Nath Kovind. Most of Lovlina’s training took place in Assam’s capital Guwahati, which is over 300 kilometers (nearly 200 miles) away from Baromukhia.
“It’s definitely improved our lives, and the government did it all for our Lovlina,” said Borgohain. “It’s like a gift for the entire village.”
Some social media users pointed out that one needs to win an Olympic medal to get their road fixed and the problem should’ve been taken care of ages ago.
Recently, Assam government authorities were likewise reprimanded for setting up complimentary banners in Guwahati, yet with their own photographs rather than Lovlina’s. Following the kickback, the banners were subsequently supplanted with ones bearing her photograph.
In spite of the fact that Lovlina should be baffled for missing her objective of winning gold, Borgohain said her performance at Tokyo 2020 is more than sufficient. “As a father, I feel sad because her dream wasn’t fulfilled. Our dream, to be honest, is fulfilled because she’s there. We’re happy with just that.”
