Perfect Pairing: Lovlina Borgohain And Sandhya Gurung

Perfect Pairing
Two heads are better than one. Whether we need a sounding board, someone to keep us in check or to work alongside, we know having that special person – a business partner, a friend, a like-minded individual, a family member, a mentor – will improve our productivity and our lives. These duos have found that one more is what we need!

Lovlina Borgohain And Sandhya Gurung
Olympian boxer and coach

A good coach can change a game, a great coach can change a life.” This quote by American basketball coach John Wooden rings true for many across the world, but, closer home, we have seen it play out with Olympian boxer Lovlina Borgohain and the way her coach, Dronacharya Awardee Sandhya Gurung, shaped the medallist.

Sandhya first crossed paths with Lovlina in 2012 when she won gold in the sub-juniors; she remembers her as a timid girl who was not “tactically strong” then. “She was tall and used that height to her advantage to punch along and win,” Sandhya had said in an interview. “It was a lucky thing – but she was willing to learn.” It was not then, however, that she turned coach for Lovlina.

A few years later in 2016, it was Lovlina, realising that she needed to harness her untapped potential, who approached Sandhya to train her. Thus began a journey that took them both to the heights – Lovlina to her first Olympics medal and Sandhya to becoming one of the best boxing coaches the country has ever seen, regardless of gender. In 2016, the process of shaping the future champion started with tough love – one step at a time. It yielded a silver in 2017 won in Kazakhstan and a bronze at the 2018 Asian Games. Like every other athlete, Lovlina’s target was the Olympics, and Sandhya lit the fire under that ambition. The coach, who had overcome paralysis in her teenage years, reportedly whispered, “Tum sherni nahi ho, tum sher ho (you are not a lioness, you are a lion),” in the pugilist’s ear for years together to transform her from the shy girl she was into the lion that roars in the ring. “By this, I never meant that being a lioness was not strong enough, rather I wanted to instill that sense of belief and ignite the fire in her,” Sandhya told a portal.

For Lovlina, Sandhya is the magician she is blessed to have in life. She has shared many images with her coach on social media, fondly looking up to her. Her post earlier this year was captioned, “7 days…5 fights…5 straight wins (7-0)… Road to World Championship and Asian Games 2022…feels good to prove myself again after Olympics.. “Believe in yourself.”(sic),” It shows how she has internalised all that Sandhya has always wanted her to discover about herself.

Also read: Perfect Pairing: Monica Shah And Karishma Swali

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