Pincky Balhara won bronze in the women’s 78kg kurash event at the Asian Games on September 28, becoming the first Indian to win two Asian Games kurash medals. Balhara beat South Korea’s Garam Lim 3-0 in the quarter-final to guarantee a medal, then lost 0-5 to South Korea’s Sumin Mo in the semi-final to settle for bronze.

It was India’s third kurash medal in Asian Games history and Balhara’s second, after her silver in the 52kg category at Jakarta 2018. She battled a knee issue during the quarter-final bout, reports said.

Kurash, the Uzbek wrestling sport, has steadily grown in India, and Balhara’s medal adds to the country’s combat sports tally at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Her medal continues India’s steady rise in kurash, a sport where the country had never medalled before the Jakarta Games. She now turns her focus to upcoming international events with an eye on further honours. Her achievement is expected to inspire more young athletes to take up the sport.