Parveen Hooda won the women’s 65 kg boxing gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on October 2, 2026, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-Chin by a 3-2 split decision. The closely fought final marked a major comeback for the Indian boxer, who had missed the Paris 2024 Olympics after receiving a suspension for whereabouts failures. Her victory also helped India complete a memorable boxing gold-medal hat-trick on the same day, alongside Lovlina Borgohain and Ankush Panghal.

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Parveen Hooda Wins a Close Final

The final was closely contested from the opening bell. Parveen started carefully but used counter-punches and body shots to put Chen under pressure. She won the opening round by a 5-0 score from the judges.

Chen responded strongly in the second round and took it by the same 5-0 score. With the bout level going into the final round, both boxers increased their attack and looked for openings.

Parveen remained composed during the deciding round and used quick combinations while trying to stay out of Chen’s strongest attacks. The judges eventually gave her the bout by a 3-2 split decision, securing the Asian Games gold medal.

A Major Comeback for the Indian Boxer

The Parveen Hooda victory has special importance because of the difficult period she faced after the 2022 Asian Games. She had won a bronze medal in the women’s 57 kg category at the Hangzhou Games, but that result was later disqualified following an International Testing Agency sanction.

The ITA suspended Parveen for 22 months after three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. Her results from December 11, 2022, to May 17, 2024, were disqualified, which resulted in the loss of her Asian Games bronze medal and the Olympic quota linked to that result. The suspension also prevented her from competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The case was related to anti-doping whereabouts requirements. It should not be described as a positive test for a banned substance.

Strong Route to the Asian Games Final

Parveen entered the Aichi-Nagoya competition after rebuilding her career following the suspension. Her path to the final included a convincing semifinal victory over China’s Li Shu.

She defeated Li by a 5-0 unanimous decision on September 29, securing her place in the gold-medal bout. The result set up a final against Chen Nien-Chin, a highly experienced boxer from Chinese Taipei and an Olympic bronze medallist.

The final required a different approach because Chen was able to respond strongly after losing the opening round. Parveen’s ability to remain focused in the third round proved important in a contest that ultimately went to a split decision.

Third Indian Woman to Win Asian Games Boxing Gold

With the victory, Parveen Hooda became the third Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold medal. Mary Kom previously won the women’s 51 kg title at the 2014 Asian Games, while Lovlina Borgohain won the women’s 75 kg gold earlier on October 2, 2026.

Parveen’s achievement therefore came on the same day as another major milestone for Indian women’s boxing. Lovlina defeated China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 to win the 75 kg gold, giving India two women’s boxing titles in one day.

India Completes Boxing Gold Hat-Trick

Indian boxing had an especially successful day at Aichi-Nagoya. After Lovlina Borgohain and Parveen Hooda won their women’s finals, Ankush Panghal added another gold in the men’s 80 kg category.

Panghal defeated South Korea’s Kim Minseong to complete India’s three-gold haul in boxing on October 2. The results gave Indian boxing a strong boost at the Games and highlighted performances across both men’s and women’s categories.

India’s overall boxing campaign also produced medals in several other weight categories, making the 2026 Games an important edition for the country’s boxing programme.

From Suspension to Asian Games Champion

The Parveen Hooda story has attracted attention because her gold medal came after nearly two years away from major international competition. After her suspension ended in July 2025, she worked her way back into competitive boxing and returned to the national setup.

She also won at the World Boxing Cup Finals in 2025, giving her an important international result during her comeback.

Her return to the Asian Games was therefore not simply another tournament appearance. The 65 kg gold represented a return to the top level after missing a major Olympic opportunity and losing her earlier Asian Games medal.

A New Chapter in Indian Boxing

The Parveen Hooda gold adds another major achievement to her career and strengthens India’s presence in women’s boxing. Her win also came against a strong opponent in a final that required her to recover after Chen levelled the contest in the second round.

The narrow 3-2 result showed how closely matched the two boxers were. Parveen’s ability to manage the final round and secure enough judges’ votes delivered the gold medal for India.

Her victory, together with the gold medals won by Lovlina Borgohain and Ankush Panghal, made October 2 one of the most successful days for Indian boxing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.