Asian Games 2026: India Claim Three Golds as Ankush and Parveen Shine in Boxing, Sujeet in Wrestling
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
India clinched three gold medals at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday, with Ankush Panghal and Parveen Hooda winning boxing titles, while Sujeet Kalkal secured gold in wrestling.
The three victories helped India finish its boxing campaign with six medals, including three gold and three bronze. Sujeet Kalkal also ended India’s wait for a wrestling gold with a dramatic comeback in the men’s 65kg freestyle final.
Ankush Leads India’s Boxing Gold Rush
Ankush Panghal defeated South Korea’s Minseong Kim 4-0 in the men’s 80kg final at the Nishio Gymnasium to claim gold.
The 26-year-old Indian dominated the bout from the opening round, which he won 4-1. He followed it with a 5-0 second round, using sharp combinations and counter-punches to keep Kim under pressure.
Ankush maintained his advantage in the final round, winning it 4-1 to secure a 4-0 verdict. Four of the five judges scored the bout 30-26 in his favour, while one had it level at 28-28.
Parveen Wins Second Women’s Boxing Gold
Parveen Hooda defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nien-chin Che in the women’s 65kg final to win India’s second women’s boxing gold of the Games.
The Rohtak-born boxer won the opening round 5-0, but Che responded with a 5-0 victory in the second. Parveen held her nerve in the decider and edged the round 3-2 to secure a split 3-2 verdict.
The 26-year-old had previously won gold at the 2025 World Cup and 2022 Asian Championships, along with bronze at the 2022 World Championships.
India Finish Boxing Campaign With Six Medals
India’s boxing campaign ended with three gold and three bronze medals.
Kapil Pokhariya won bronze in the men’s 90kg category, Narender Berwal secured bronze in the men’s +90kg event, while Priya Ghanghas finished with bronze in the women’s 60kg category.
India fielded 11 boxers at the Games. Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar, Jadumani Singh, Sachin Siwach and Sumit Kundu were among those who exited at different stages before the medal rounds.
Sujeet Ends Wrestling Gold Wait
Sujeet Kalkal produced one of the day’s biggest comebacks to win India’s first wrestling gold at the Asian Games 2026.
The 23-year-old trailed Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiyev 2-9 in the men’s 65kg freestyle final before scoring eight unanswered points to complete a 10-9 victory at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.
Sujeet had earlier defeated Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai by technical superiority, Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi by another technical superiority win and Japan’s Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka in a 3-3 bout decided on criteria.
His victory capped a strong day for India, with four gold medals coming across boxing and wrestling.
