Lovlina Borgohain and Sakshi Chaudhary Shine in Boxing Trials for Asian and Commonwealth Games

Borgohain and Chaudhary Excel in National Trials

Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and promising boxer Sakshi Chaudhary have successfully earned their spots in the Indian boxing squad for the forthcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, following their victories at the national trials held in Patiala on Friday.

Borgohain showcased an outstanding performance, winning against Sanamacha Chanu with a score of 5-0 in the women's 75kg final. She had previously missed the chance to qualify after not reaching the finals at the Asian Boxing Championships 2026 in Ulaanbaatar last month, according to reports.

According to the selection policy set by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), boxers who reached the finals at the Asian Boxing Championships automatically qualified for their respective weight categories in both upcoming multi-sport events.

Sakshi Chaudhary's Impressive Victory

In the women's 51kg category, Sakshi Chaudhary continued her remarkable streak by defeating reigning 48kg world champion Minakshi Hooda 5-0 in the final. Earlier, she had pulled off a surprising 4-1 victory over two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen in the semi-finals.

Minakshi had previously triumphed over former world champion and Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medalist Nitu Ghanghas in the semi-finals. Although Hooda secured gold in the 48kg category at the Asian Boxing Championships, this weight class is not included in the Asian Games or Commonwealth Games programs. Consequently, Minakshi moved up to the 51kg division, where she faced defeat against Chaudhary.

Additional Qualifications

Several boxers had already secured their qualifications through the Asian Boxing Championships, including 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 (women's 57kg), Arundhati Choudhary (women's 70kg), and Aditya Pratap Singh (men's 65kg) qualified solely for the Commonwealth Games, as their categories are not part of the Asian Games.

World championship bronze medalist Parveen Hooda (women's 65kg) and Narender Berwal (+90kg), the only Indian male boxer to medal at the 2023 Asian Games, also won their trials to secure their places for the Games.

Upcoming Boxing Events

The Commonwealth Games 2026, scheduled from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, will feature 14 boxing events. Meanwhile, the Asian Games 2026 will take place from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, across 11 weight categories.

Indian Boxing Teams for 2026 Games

Indian boxing team for Asian Games 2026

Women: Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Parveen Hooda (65kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg). Men: Jadumani Singh (55 kg), Sachin Siwach (60 kg), Sumit Kundu (70 kg), Ankush (80 kg), Kapil Pokhariya (90 kg), Narender Berwal (+90 kg).

Indian boxing team for 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).