Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya hailed a gold rush at the Asian Games 2026. Boxers Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal, Lovlina Borgohain and wrestler Sujeet Kalkal won gold, alongside a historic gold for the women's recurve archery team on Friday.
Mandaviya Hails Gold Medal Winners
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya hailed Indian boxers Parveen Hooda, Ankush Pangal and wrestler Sujeet Kalkal for their Asian Games gold medals on Friday.
The gold rush for Team India at Asian Games on Friday was at full swing as several gold medals poured in from archery, boxing and wrestling.
Sujeet Kalkal's Dramatic Wrestling Gold
Sujeet Kalkal secured a historic gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games 2026, defeating Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev in the men's freestyle 65kg wrestling final at Aichi-Nagoya on Friday. Down and out at 2-9 with a minute and 40 seconds to go, Sujeet produced takedowns after takedowns, changing tides in his favour and sealing the gold medal with eleven seconds left.
Boxing Golds for Hooda and Panghal
In boxing, Parveen Hooda (women's 65 kg) and Ankush Panghal (men's 80 kg) sealed gold medals for India.
Posting on X, Mandaviya congratulated pugilist Parveen, writing, "Unstoppable in the ring! Congratulations to Parveen Hooda for striking GOLD in the Women’s 65kg Boxing event at the #AsianGames2026. Keep shining, champ! #Cheer4Bharat."
Unstoppable in the ring! 🥊🥇🇮🇳 Congratulations to Parveen Hooda for striking GOLD in the Women’s 65kg Boxing event at the #AsianGames2026. Keep shining, champ! #Cheer4Bharat https://t.co/Qt5soRSU1E — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) October 2, 2026
Congratulating Ankush for his sensational performance, Mandaviya wrote, "GOLDEN PUNCH A sensational performance by Ankush as he defeats Kim Minseong of South Korea to clinch GOLD in the Men’s 80kg Boxing event at #AsianGames2026. #Cheer4Bharat."
GOLDEN PUNCH🥊🥇 A sensational performance by Ankush as he defeats Kim Minseong of South Korea to clinch GOLD in the Men’s 80kg Boxing event at #AsianGames2026. #Cheer4Bharat https://t.co/JxetHxxD1L — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) October 2, 2026
Expressing awe at Sujeet's exceptional wrestling, Mandaviya wrote, "Last-Minute Turnaround, Sujit Wins Gold for India! #AsianGames2026 #Cheer4Bharat."
आखिरी एक मिनट में पलटी बाजी, सुजीत ने जीता भारत के लिए Gold! #AsianGames2026 #Cheer4Bharat https://t.co/yqS3PeyQvU — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) October 2, 2026
India has 75 medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with 15 golds, 25 silver medals and 35 bronze medals.
Men's Sepaktakraw Team Bags Bronze
Earlier, India's sepaktakraw team got a reason to rejoice at the back end of the Asian Games 2026 campaign as the men's quadrant secured a bronze medal after a defeat to Japan in the semifinal of their event.
The Indian men's quadrant of Malemnganba Singh Sorokhaibam, Ram Kumar Sharma, Bobby Kumar and Akash Yumnam secured the bronze, losing 0-2 (12-15, 13-15) to Japan in the semis, as per ESPN.
This marks India's third medal in sepaktakraw at the Asian Games, having previously won two bronze medals: in the men's team regu in the 2018 edition in Jakarta and the 2022 edition bronze in the women's team regu event.
The Indian quadrant enjoyed a great run to the medal, beating the World Cup winners Myanmar in the group stage and making sure that the contingent did not return home empty-handed.
Historic Day for Indian Archery
Earlier, to start off the day, India produced a stunning upset in women's recurve archery as Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma defeated South Korea 5-3 in the gold medal match at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday to claim the country's first-ever medal in the discipline at the continental showpiece.
The Indian trio held their nerve against the dominant South Korean side, with 17-year-old Kumkum emerging as the star of the final and delivering two crucial 10s in the closing stages to seal a historic victory, according to ESPN.
Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara settled for silver in the mixed recurve archery team event at the Asian Games 2026 after losing 3-5 to China's Zhu Jingyi and Li Mengqi in the gold-medal match.
More Medals for Team India
Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday in memorable fashion as she defeated China's Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women's 75kg final to win the gold medal on Friday.
Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan secured the bronze medal in the women's dinghy event at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday, adding another medal to India's sailing haul at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Nethra recovered strongly in the second and final race of the finals after a difficult opening race to finish on the podium. She ended level on points with Hong Kong's Stephanie Louise Norton, but her superior head-to-head results against Norton gave her the bronze medal.
The medal adds to India's impressive performance in sailing at the Asian Games, with Indian sailors having already won medals in the men's and women's skiff events.
In the third recurve archery medal of the day, India secured a silver medal in the men's recurve team event at the Asian Games 2026 after losing 1-5 to South Korea in the final here on Friday, adding another medal to a memorable day for the country's archers.
Dhiraj Bommadevara, Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge and Neeraj Chauhan were unable to replicate the women's team's earlier upset over South Korea, as the Koreans' consistency under pressure proved decisive, according to ESPN. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)