Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Monday took to Twitter to post a long message in which she claimed that she has faced “mental harassment” due to the constant removal of her coaches, who helped her win an Olympic medal, from her training process and were later allowed entry after several requests. She also claimed that her coach Sandhya Gurung has currently not been allowed entry into the Commonwealth Games Village.
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— Lovlina Borgohain (@LovlinaBorgohai) July 25, 2022
“Every time my coaches who helped me win a medal at the Olympics have been removed from my training process and competition. One of these coaches, Sandhya Gurung ji, is also a Dronacharya awardee. Despite thousands of requests, they are always allowed late for my training. This hampers my training and puts me through a lot of hardships and mental harassment.
“Now, my coach Sandhya Gurung ji is out of the Commonwealth Village as she is not allowed entry and my training has been brought to a halt eight days before the Games. My other coach has been sent back to India, despite me requesting multiple times. I don’t understand how I am supposed to focus on my game. This situation ruined my performance during the last world championships also. I don’t want this politics to ruin my Commonwealth Games too. I hope I can break through this politics and win a medal for my country. Jai Hind,” Lovlina wrote in her post.
Lovlina will be competing in 70 kg category of women’s boxing at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
She won a bronze medal in the 69 kg category of women’s boxing at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lovlina became only the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom to bag an Olympic medal.
A news agency PTI report stated that boxing assistant coach Sandhya Gurung and sports psychologist Gayatri Vartak were included in the Indian contingent days before the start of the Commonwealth Games. Dronacharya awardee Gurung is an assistant coach in the national camp and has been working closely with Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain. Vartak is a mental conditioning coach who worked with the Indian table tennis team at the national camp in May.
“Sandhya Gurung and Gayatri Vartak have been included in the Indian contingent,” an IOA source told PTI.
Gurung, who is credited with pulling Lovlina out of a difficult mental place before the Tokyo Olympics, had travelled with the boxing contingent to Ireland where the pugilists underwent a 15-day camp.
On arrival in Birmingham, she was stuck at the airport as she was a last-minute addition to India’s CWG contingent and her accreditation hadn’t arrived. She was checked in to the hotel where the extra officials are staying.
Vartak, on the other hand, is still awaiting her visa.
“Sandhya has already reached Birmingham but Gayatri is waiting for her visa which will arrive be tomorrow,” the source said.
A former badminton player, Vartak will be primarily assisting the paddlers at the quadrennial event. However, she has also helped the likes of shuttler Lakshya Sen and squash player Saurav Goshal in the past among others.
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Her absence from the final TT squad had not got down well with the players last week, with the likes of veteran Sharath Kamal and reigning national champion Sreeja Akula saying her presence would have made a “big difference.” The CWG will begin in Birmingham on Thursday.
(With PTI inputs)
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