India’s golden run in boxing continued at the Asian Games 2026 as Parveen Hooda clinched the gold medal in the women’s 65kg category on Friday.
Parveen defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-Chin in a closely contested final, winning by a 3-2 split decision to secure another gold for the Indian contingent.
The bout remained tightly fought until the final round. Chen started aggressively and landed several punches early, but Parveen responded with sharp combinations and held her nerve to edge ahead on the judges’ scorecards.
The victory also marked an important comeback for Parveen, who had missed out on a medal at the previous Asian Games after being ruled out following a doping whereabouts failure. Her gold in Aichi-Nagoya now adds a significant chapter to her career.
Parveen had reached the final after defeating China’s Li Shu 5-0 in the semifinal.
Earlier in the day, Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain also struck gold in the women’s 75kg category, defeating China’s Bao Ziyi by a unanimous 5-0 decision. The victory came on Lovlina’s 29th birthday, giving her a memorable birthday gift.
Lovlina had previously won silver at the Asian Games and bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. Her latest victory finally changed the colour of her Asian Games medal to gold.
Speaking to PTI after her win, Lovlina opened up about the difficult phase she had gone through before reaching the top.
“It was a tough year for me. Earlier I wanted to quit boxing. But I continued. I had to change the colour of my medal at the Asian Games. It was very important,” she said.
Lovlina also admitted that winning the Commonwealth Games silver had left her disappointed, but said athletes have to deal with losses, injuries and several difficult moments during their careers.
“This gold medal was very important to me. That is how I continued. I am feeling good. I don’t know how to celebrate my gold. It has just ended. I need some time to accept that I have won,” she added.
The two gold medals have made Friday a memorable day for Indian boxing, with Lovlina and Parveen both finishing on top in their respective women’s categories.