India Boxes for Gold! Lovlina, Parveen & Ankush Dominate Asian Games!
India Boxes for Gold! Lovlina, Parveen & Ankush Dominate Asian Games!
India shines bright at the Asian Games as Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda & Ankush Panghal clinch 3 boxing golds! Relive their triumphant journeys. #AsianGames2026
India's phenomenal run at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games continued with a stunning display of boxing prowess, as three Indian pugilists secured gold medals, propelling the nation to the top of the boxing medal tally. Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda, and Ankush Panghal all emerged victorious in their respective bouts on Friday, marking a historic day for Indian boxing.
Lovlina Borgohain, the most experienced of the trio, kicked off the gold rush with a dominant performance in the 75kg category. Celebrating her birthday with a golden win, Lovlina decisively beat China's reigning Asian champion Ziyi Bao with a 5-0 score. This victory makes her only the second Indian woman boxer to claim an Asian Games gold, following in the footsteps of the legendary Mary Kom.
Lovlina shared her emotional journey, stating,
There was a time when I thought of giving up boxing but then decided against it. Today it feels surreal to win a gold here. Being compared to a legend like Mary Kom is a motivation and I never thought I would gift myself and the country a gold, this one's very special.
Next up, Parveen Hooda completed a remarkable redemption arc in the 65kg final. She secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory against the formidable Paris Olympic bronze medallist and current Asian champion Chen Nien-chin of Taiwan. Parveen's gold medal is particularly poignant as she had previously won a bronze that was later revoked due to a whereabouts clause failure ban.
Her win is a powerful testament to her incredible mental and physical resilience. An ecstatic Parveen recounted her struggles, saying, "When the whereabouts failure thing happened, mentally I was shattered. I thought I had to start from zero but then I reset my mind to think that if I didn't make a comeback, I will regret my whole life that one small mistake cost me everything.
At that moment I decided that I had to earn back everything I had, with interest." She added that the Haryana State government's promise of a deputy director's post for a gold medal was a driving force. "This is my second coming and I am stronger than ever before mentally, I am more mature and I handle my things now. I am not dependent on anyone.
I have more confidence and belief in my skills.
Earlier, I would get nervous if I lost a round; now I feel I can handle anything."
Capping off a glorious day for Indian boxing, Ankush Panghal delivered a convincing 4-0 win against Korea's Kim Minseong in the 80kg category. This victory sealed the hat-trick of gold medals for India, contributing to an impressive haul of three golds and three bronzes, solidifying India's top position in the boxing medal tally at this edition of the Asian Games.
The collective achievements of these athletes highlight the depth of talent and unwavering spirit within Indian boxing.
