India have already won a medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, even before the multi-sport event has begun!
The 2026 CWG begins Thursday, 23 July in Glasgow, Scotland, with the Opening Ceremony slated to start past midnight on 24 July, but India's medal tally is up and running courtesy former Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain.
The boxer has earned a bye in her quarterfinal round of the women's 75kg boxing, thus progressing directly to the semifinal. Since every semifinalist wins a medal, that means Lovlina will return with at least a bronze medal.
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The 75kg women's category has only five boxers, and three have been given byes into the semifinal. Along with Lovlina, Australia's Emma-Sue Greentree and Tuvalu's Tarona Khanum Badi Pasoni Taafaki also got byes.
England's Mary-Kate Smith and Nigeria's British-born Patricia Mbata will face off in the only quarterfinal in the division.
Lovlina will face the 20-year-old Taafaki in the semifinals, on July 31. It is the young Tuvalu athlete's first major event. Her brother, Pasoni Taafaki is also competing in men's boxing in the Games, in the 70kg category.
Lovlina, meanwhile, will be keen to redress her disappointing showing in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games where she lost in the quarterfinals. It was a narrow 2-3 loss to Wales' Rosie Eccles in the 70kg division.
It was a close bout, but it looked like Eccles was the better of the two in the opening two rounds. But somehow the judges gave the two rounds to Lovlina by a split decision. Lovlina also got a point deduction in the second round for holding. Eccles won the final round comprehensively and clinched the bout 3-2 by a split decision.
