Pincky Balhara wins Kurash bronze for India at Asian Games 2026

Indian Kurash athlete Pincky Balhara secured a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games after losing the women’s 78 kg semifinal to South Korea’s Mo Sumin in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday.

Pincky, who won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, earned India’s third-ever Kurash medal at the event. She was defeated 0-5 by Sumin, the 2026 Asian Championships gold medallist. Throughout the match, Pincky trailed and received an early warning before scoring a ‘chala’ (half point/throw). However, Sumin upgraded the ‘chala’ to a ‘yonbosh’ (full point, short of an instant win) following another warning, which gave Pincky a ‘dakki’ (two warnings, one short of disqualification). Pincky ultimately settled for bronze.

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This marked India’s 38th medal of the Asian Games, comprising four golds, 16 silvers and 18 bronzes. Pincky secured her semifinal place by defeating South Korea’s Lim Garam 3-0 in the women’s 78 kg quarterfinal, confirming India’s third-ever Kurash medal at the Asian Games.

In boxing, Indian Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the women’s 75 kg semifinal by defeating South Korea’s 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist Seong Suyeon 5-0 via unanimous decision in the quarterfinal. The bout, held at Aichi-Nagoya on Monday, saw an aggressive exchange in the first round, with Lovlina winning 10-9 on the judges’ scorecards.

In the second round, Seong attacked aggressively but Lovlina managed effective counters and connected solid jabs, winning the round 5-0 and leading 20-18 overall. Lovlina dominated the third round, delivering quick punches that left her opponent dazed. The judges awarded her the final round 5-0, culminating in a 30-27 victory for Lovlina.