Meet Ankush Panghal: The Indian boxer who clinched Gold in men’s 80kg final at Asian Games 2026

India ended their boxing campaign at the Asian Games 2026 on a high as Ankush Panghal clinched the gold medal in the men’s 80kg category. The Indian boxer defeated South Korea’s Minseong Kim 4-0 in the final at the Nishio Gymnasium.

Ankush was in control for most of the contest and kept Kim under pressure with sharp punches and well-timed counters. Four judges scored the bout 30-26 in favour of the Indian, while one judge had it level at 28-28. Kim was also handed a point deduction for a warning in the opening round.

The Indian boxer started strongly, winning the first round 4-1. He continued to find openings in the second round, using quick combinations and counter-attacks to take it 5-0. Kim managed to land a few punches, but Ankush remained the more effective boxer.

Ankush maintained the same approach in the final round, mixing defence with attacking punches. He won the third round 4-1 to complete a convincing 4-0 victory and secure the gold medal.

Who is Ankush Panghal?

Ankush Panghal is an Indian boxer from the 80kg category who delivered one of India’s standout performances in the boxing competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. His disciplined approach, strong counter-punching and ability to control the pace helped him finish the campaign with the biggest prize in his category.

India finish boxing campaign with six medals

Ankush’s gold completed a strong boxing campaign for India, with the country finishing with three gold and three bronze medals.

Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain were the other Indian boxers to win gold. Parveen defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nien-chin Che in a closely fought women’s final. She won the opening round 5-0 before Che levelled the contest by taking the second round by the same score. Parveen held her nerve in the final round, winning it 3-2 to take a split 3-2 verdict.

Parveen became only the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games boxing gold. Mary Kom had won the women’s 51kg title at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, while Lovlina added her second gold earlier on Friday.

Lovlina, who celebrated her 29th birthday on Friday, won the women’s 75kg final against China’s Ziyi Bao by a 5-0 verdict. The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist improved on her silver from the 2022 Asian Games.

Three bronze medals for India

India also picked up three bronze medals in boxing. Kapil Pokhariya won bronze in the men’s 90kg category, Narender Berwal finished with bronze in the men’s +90kg event, while Priya Ghanghas claimed bronze in the women’s 60kg category.

India had sent 11 boxers to the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar and Jadumani Singh exited in the early rounds, while Sachin Siwach bowed out in the quarterfinals. Sumit Kundu also suffered a pre-quarterfinal defeat.