Parveen Hooda won gold in the women's 65kg boxing final at the Asian Games 2026, beating Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-chin 3-2 by split decision
Parveen took the opening round, Chen responded in the second, and the Indian edged the decisive third round to seal victory
Parveen became only the third Indian woman boxer to win Asian Games gold, after Mary Kom and Lovlina Borgohain
Parveen Hooda became only the third Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold medal after she edged past Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-chin in a tense women's 65kg final on Friday.
The Indian secured the title with a 3-2 split-decision victory after a closely contested three-round bout. Neither boxer was able to gain a decisive advantage for long, with the gold ultimately coming down to the judges' verdict in the final round.
Chen, a Paris Olympics bronze medallist, came into the second round strongly after a cagey opening three minutes. Both boxers had initially been reluctant to commit to their punches, prompting a referee's warning, but Parveen gradually found her rhythm and landed the more telling blows.
That was enough for the Indian to take the opening round unanimously, with all five judges scoring it 10-9 in her favour.
Chen responded immediately in the second. The Chinese Taipei boxer stepped up her aggression and put Parveen under greater pressure, taking control of the round. All five judges awarded Chen a 10-9 score, leaving the contest finely poised heading into the decider.
India 2026 Asian Games Medal Tally
The third round proved decisive. Parveen battled through another fiercely contested three minutes and managed to sway three of the five judges in her favour. The 3-2 verdict was enough to hand her the Asian Games title.
The victory also places Parveen in an exclusive group in Indian women's boxing. She is now just the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal, following Mary Kom's triumph in 2014 and Lovlina Borgohain's gold at the 2026 edition.
