India's Pincky Balhara added another chapter to her remarkable Asian Games journey by winning bronze in the women's -78kg Kurash event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
The medal is Balhara's second Asian Games podium finish, eight years after she won silver in the women's -52kg category at the 2018 Jakarta Games. It also makes her the first Indian to win two Asian Games medals in Kurash.
Balhara began her campaign in the 78kg category with a quarter-final victory over South Korea's Lim Garam, defeating her 3-0 to secure a place in the last four and assure India of a medal.
Her run ended in the semi-final against South Korea's Mo Sumin, the 2026 Asian Championships gold medallist. Balhara went down 0-5, with the bout featuring warnings and
a dakki against the Indian before Mo converted her advantage into a decisive result. However, the bronze represents far more than another entry in India's medal tally.
Pincky Balhara had to endure personal Trauma
Balhara's breakthrough came in 2018, when she had initially hoped to represent India in judo. After missing selection for the Asian Games judo team, she turned to Kurash, a combat sport closely related to judo. She made the most of the opportunity, eventually winning silver in Jakarta.
Her journey to that medal was particularly difficult. In the months before the 2018 Games, Balhara lost her cousin, father and grandfather. Her father died of a heart attack at just 42, shortly after her selection for the Asian Games. Balhara later described that period as the worst phase of her life.
She nevertheless continued training and competing. After her father's death, she had only a few days to prepare for the senior national championships and still won bronze. She later won gold at the junior nationals, despite her grandfather's death occurring around the same period.
There were financial challenges too. India's Kurash programme was still developing, and reports from 2018 said athletes struggled even to arrange competition kits. Balhara's village community helped raise money for her training camp in Uzbekistan.
Pincky's journey in combat sports began at just nine years of age, when she first stepped onto the judo mat. Her early training took place at the Baba Ganga Nath Judo and Kurash Academy in Munirka, Delhi, under the guidance of her maternal uncle, Samundar Tokas, a prominent coach in both disciplines.
Judo laid the foundation for Balhara's career before she eventually found success in Kurash, an ancient grappling discipline with its roots in Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan. The sport, known for its traditional wrestling techniques and distinctive throws, became the platform through which Balhara established herself on the international stage.
Eight years after her first Asian Games medal, Balhara has once again stood on the podium - this time in a heavier weight category and after another challenging chapter in her career. Her bronze adds another significant milestone to India's Kurash history.
