Nagoya: Pincky Balhara battled through a right knee injury to win a bronze medal in the women’s 78kg kurash competition at the 2026 Asian Games, claiming her second Asian Games medal and making it clear that she has no plans to call time on her career.
Competing in her third Asian Games, the 28-year-old Delhi athlete was beaten 5-0 by South Korea’s Sumin Mo in the semifinal at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall. The result left Pincky with a bronze, matching her medal-winning performance from the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
Pincky’s heavily strapped right knee proved a major impediment during the semifinal, with Sumin repeatedly targeting the injured leg and restricting the Indian’s attacking options. The South Korean’s tactics helped her build a points advantage and book her place in the final.
“I was determined not to give away points. Sumin knew my weakness, and she made good use of that,” Pincky said in an interview to SAI media.
The bronze was another testament to Pincky’s resilience in a sport where she has emerged as one of India’s leading names. A former junior Asian champion in 2015, she also won gold at the 2024 World Nomad Games and has been a national champion.
Pincky has also spoken about overcoming difficult personal circumstances and criticism following the death of her father before the 2018 Asian Games.
“A section of the media said I was taking sympathy for my father’s death before the 2018 Asian Games. I proved them wrong with my medal (silver). That fire still burns in me. The blood of a Jat girl is very hot, and that is what keeps me going against adversity,” Pincky said.
Despite securing another Asian Games medal, Pincky is already looking beyond Aichi-Nagoya and rejected suggestions that her third appearance at the continental showpiece could mark the end of her career.
“A lot of people are saying my career is over after my third Asian Games. While I agree that the colour of the medal is not what I had aspired to, I am not stopping yet. I have worked very hard in the last eight years for this medal,” said Pincky.
India fielded a six-member squad in kurash at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with the team holding a brief training camp in Saharanpur before travelling to Japan. Indian Kurash Association president Ravi Kapoor said the team needed greater international exposure and more extensive preparation ahead of major competitions.
“We could have done better had our team got some international exposure and training before coming to the Games. We need a lot of support from the government. PM Narendra Modi’s vision to make sports a career option must impact our players too,” said Kapoor.
Pincky recalled the difference that overseas preparation made ahead of the 2018 Asian Games, when Indian players trained for 19 days in Uzbekistan, one of the sport’s traditional strongholds.
“The tough training there helped. We learnt to be competitive and did that the hard way. We need more such camps before big events,” said Pincky.
India won two medals in kurash at the Jakarta Games, and Kapoor believes greater institutional backing could help the sport build on its progress. He said kurash began developing in an organised manner in India around 2000, with several athletes, including those who switched from judo, going on to win medals internationally.
“We have virtually run the association from our own pocket. We just need government support to turn the corner and do much better in the next Games,” said Kapoor.
(IANS)
