Ankush Panghal leads Indian boxing gold rush at Asian Games

Ankush Panghal

NEW DELHI: Ankush Panghal completed a golden hat-trick for Indian boxing at the Asian Games on Friday, defeating South Korea’s Minseong Kim in the men’s 80kg final to cap a memorable day for the country’s pugilists in Aichi-Nagoya.

Ankush dominated the title bout, winning the opening round 4-1 before taking the second unanimously 5-0 to establish a commanding advantage. He maintained his control in the third round, winning it 4-1 to seal the gold medal with a 4-0 verdict. His triumph came after Lovlina Borgohain and Parveen Hooda had won their respective finals, making Friday a landmark occasion for Indian boxing. Lovlina defeated China’s Ziyi Bao 5-0 in the women’s 75kg final on her 29th birthday, while Parveen edged Paris Olympics bronze medallist Chen Nien-chin of Chinese Taipei 3-2 in a split decision in the women’s 65kg category. The three victories gave India a hat-trick of boxing gold medals and brought a memorable end to a day of high-stakes contests.

Ankush dominates the final

Ankush made an emphatic start against Kim, edging the opening round 4-1 on the judges’ scorecards. The Indian then raised his game in the second, securing a unanimous 5-0 verdict to move firmly in control of the contest. With the gold within reach, Ankush stayed composed in the final round and continued to outscore his Korean opponent. He won the round 4-1 to complete a commanding performance and claim the men’s 80kg title. The victory added another gold to India’s boxing haul after the women’s finals had already delivered two major milestones.

Lovlina and Parveen end 12-year wait

Earlier, Lovlina produced a composed performance to defeat Bao and upgrade the silver she had won at the previous Asian Games. Her victory ended India’s 12-year wait for a women’s Asian Games boxing gold and made her only the second Indian woman after legendary MC Mary Kom to win the title. Mary Kom had claimed the women’s 51kg gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. “It was a very special birthday, I'm feeling really good. I thought I'd have to gift a gold medal on my birthday. It's the first time that I got a present for myself,” Lovlina said after her victory.

Parveen followed with a hard-fought win over Chen, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, to secure her maiden Asian Games gold. Her narrow split-decision victory added another landmark moment to India’s campaign. India’s boxing contingent had already surpassed its four-medal return from the previous edition, with Priya Ghanghas, Kapil Pokhariya and Narender Berwal also securing bronze medals. The country’s best Asian Games boxing performance remains the 2010 Guangzhou edition, where Indian boxers won nine medals, including two golds. Friday’s three-title sweep provided another memorable chapter in India’s campaign at Aichi-Nagoya.