Lovlina Borgohain’s injury scare, a brutal draw and LA 2028 stakes: India begin Asian Games boxing gold hunt

India’s quest to end a boxing gold medal drought at the Asian Games begins Monday, with Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain returning from an injury scare and an 11-member contingent bracing for a draw packed with world and Olympic pedigree.India last struck boxing gold at the continental event through Amit Panghal in Jakarta in 2018. Five women and six men now carry the country’s hopes in Aichi-Nagoya, arriving with momentum after topping the Glasgow Commonwealth Games boxing table with seven gold and three silver.Lovlina, however, has had a nervous build-up. It is learnt from Boxing Federation of India (BFI) sources that the Tokyo Olympic bronze winner – initially troubled by muscle soreness – subsequently developed a niggle in her right elbow. The problem kept her out of training for around 10 days at the NIS Patiala camp.She carried the issue to Nishio, where India trained from Sept 8 to 16 at a pre-Games camp involving more than 220 participants from 14 national federations. She was understood to have missed a couple of days there too, before rehabilitation helped her recover. She is now cleared and ready to return to the ring.On the opening day, Sumit Kundu in the men’s 70kg preliminaries, will be India’s lone boxer in action. The real Indian charge starts Tuesday: Sakshi Chaudhary faces Paris bronze medallist Aira Villegas in the 51kg opener; Preeti Pawar, a 2026 Asian champion, has a bye before a potential clash with North Korea’s Olympic bronze medallist Pang Chol-mi; and Jadumani Singh opens against Nepal’s Chandra Thapa, with Tokyo silver medallist Carlo Paalam potentially awaiting later.Priya Ghanghas starts against South Korea’s two-time world bronze medallist Oh Yeon-ji, while Parveen Hooda meets Tajikistan’s Hozimova and could encounter Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova in the quarters. Lovlina, one of only eight entries at 75kg, begins against South Korea’s Suyeon Seong and is drawn for a possible semifinal against Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Natalya Bogdanova or Uzbekistan’s Aziza Zokirova.Sachin Siwach has a bye before a potential meeting with Jordan’s Mohammad Abu Jajeh; Ankush Panghal could run into world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev in the semis; and Narender Berwal, who won India’s lone men’s medal at Hangzhou, starts in the quarters against Thailand’s Adthapong Saengtep, with world champion Aibek Oralbay a possible semifinal obstacle.The field leaves little room for complacency: 199 boxers from 33 NOCs include 10 reigning world champions, six from Kazakhstan alone. Asian Games medals also carry World Boxing (WB) ranking points — 800 for gold, 500 silver and 300 bronze — with rankings potentially influencing future seeding.For India, the stakes stretch beyond Nishio. Under BFI’s new Los Angeles Olympics 2028 pathway, Asian Games medallists will receive direct entry to the 2027 World Championships, the first Olympic qualifying event.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.