Indian boxer Parveen Hooda secured the women’s 65 kg boxing gold medal by defeating Chen Nien-Chen of Chinese Taipei in the final at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Friday. Parveen clinched the title by a 3-2 split decision, marking India’s second boxing gold of the day following Olympic medalist Lovlina Borgohain’s victory in the women’s 75 kg category.
Parveen’s triumph comes as a significant redemption after losing her 2022 Asian Games bronze due to a doping wherebyabouts failure. According to ESPN, her gold medal win over the former world champion represents a major personal achievement.
This medal adds to India’s overall tally at the Games, which now stands at 73, with 13 golds, 25 silvers and 35 bronzes.
In the match, Parveen began cautiously, countering jabs from her opponent with effective punches. Both boxers exchanged combinations, but India won the first round unanimously. During the second round, Parveen utilized her reach to land punches while maintaining distance, though Chen claimed the round. The final round was tightly contested, with Parveen executing swift combinations and countering Chen’s attacks to secure the narrow victory.
Separately, India’s men’s sepaktakraw quadrant—Malemnganba Singh Sorokhaibam, Ram Kumar Sharma, Bobby Kumar and Akash Yumnam—earned a bronze medal despite a 0-2 semifinal loss (12-15, 13-15) to Japan. This marks India’s third Asian Games bronze in sepaktakraw, following previous medals in the 2018 and 2022 editions. The team’s campaign included a notable victory over World Cup champions Myanmar in the group stage, ensuring India did not leave without a medal in the sport.
Earlier on Friday, the Indian women’s recurve archery team comprising Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma caused a major upset by defeating South Korea 5-3 to secure India’s first-ever gold in the discipline at the Asian Games. Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod played a pivotal role, delivering two crucial 10s in the final stages.
In mixed recurve archery, Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara earned a silver medal after losing the final 3-5 to China’s Zhu Jingyi and Li Mengqi.
Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday with a 5-0 victory over China’s Bao Ziyi in the women’s 75 kg boxing final.
Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan secured a bronze medal in the women’s dinghy event after strong recovery in the final races. She finished level on points with Hong Kong’s Stephanie Louise Norton but claimed bronze based on superior head-to-head results. This continued India’s successful sailing campaign at the Games.
In men’s recurve archery, India won silver after the team of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge and Neeraj Chauhan lost 1-5 to South Korea in the final. The Koreans’ consistency under pressure was a key factor in the outcome, according to ESPN.