Patiala, May 15 (IANS) Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and rising star Sakshi Chaudhary secured their spots on India’s boxing teams for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 and Commonwealth Games 2026 after impressive wins at the national trials in Patiala on Friday.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and former world champion Lovlina delivered a strong performance in the women’s 75kg final, defeating Sanamacha Chanu 5-0 to confirm her place in both major multi-sport events.

The 28-year-old narrowly missed direct qualification through the Asian Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar last month after failing to reach the final. According to the Boxing Federation of India’s selection policy, only finalists at the continental championships earned automatic qualification for categories included in both the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

Lovlina, who took silver at the 2023 Asian Games after narrowly missing a podium finish at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, ensured there would be no repeat disappointment as she easily claimed qualification through the trials.

The women’s 51kg category sparked significant discussion during the trials as Sakshi Chaudhary continued her impressive streak by defeating reigning 48kg world champion Minakshi Hooda 5-0 in the final.

Earlier, Sakshi had stunned two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen 4-1 in the semifinals, highlighting her rise as one of India’s top boxing prospects.

Minakshi reached the final after defeating former world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nitu Ghanghas in the semifinals. Although she won gold in the 48kg category at the Asian Boxing Championships, that division is not part of the Asian Games or Commonwealth Games program, forcing her to move up to 51kg.

Several other Indian boxers had already qualified based on their performances at the Asian Championships. This 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 as their categories are not part of the Asian Games program.

World championship bronze medallist Parveen Hooda and Asian Games medallist Narender Berwal also secured their places by winning their respective trials.

The Commonwealth Games 2026 will take place in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, and the Asian Games 2026 are set for Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India squads:

Asian Games 2026

Women: Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Parveen Hooda (65kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg)

Men: Jadumani Singh (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Sumit Kundu (70kg), Ankush (80kg), Kapil Pokhariya (90kg), Narender Berwal (+90kg)

Commonwealth Games 2026

Women: Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Parveen Hooda (65kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg)

Men: Jadumani Singh (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Aditya Pratap Singh (65kg), Sumit Kundu (70kg), Ankush (80kg), Kapil Pokhariya (90kg), Narender Berwal (+90kg)

–IANS

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