Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Pincky Balhara Wins Asian Games Bronze Despite Injury and Adversity
Pincky Balhara is an Indian athlete who competes in kurash, a form of upright wrestling.
She won a bronze medal at the Asian Games.
She hurt her right knee during an earlier match.
Her next opponent repeatedly attacked the injured area.
Balhara said this made it difficult to compete and she lost the semifinal by penalty.
She was competing in the much heavier -78kg category for only the second time.
She trains at her uncle’s academy in Delhi, often practicing with boys because there are few other options.
Balhara also says Indian kurash athletes receive limited support because the sport’s national federation situation is unsettled.
Pincky Balhara won a bronze medal in kurash at the Asian Games, becoming India’s most successful athlete in the sport at the event.
She injured her right knee during her quarterfinal victory over South Korea’s Lim Garam and said the injury was targeted again in the semifinal by Sumin Mo.
Balhara lost the semifinal on a penalty after competing in the -78kg category for only the second time.
She previously won silver in the -52kg category at the 2018 Asian Games, when kurash made its continental debut.
Balhara trains at her uncle Samunder Tokas’s academy in Delhi amid the absence of a recognised national kurash federation and disputes among rival bodies.
- Who
- Indian kurash athlete Pincky Balhara, along with opponents Lim Garam and Sumin Mo of South Korea.
- What
- Balhara won an Asian Games bronze medal in kurash despite a knee injury and limited institutional support.
- When
- At the Asian Games; the article refers to the medal as being won on Monday and mentions her earlier silver in 2018.
- Where
- At the Asian Games, with Balhara training at Baba Ganga Nath Judo and Kurash Academy in Munirka, Delhi.
- Why
- She was competing for a medal in the -78kg category, while an injured knee affected her semifinal performance.
- Medal
- Bronze in kurash at the Asian Games
- Previous Asian Games result
- Silver in the -52kg category in 2018
- Injury
- Right-knee injury sustained during the quarterfinal
- Semifinal result
- Lost to South Korea’s Sumin Mo on a penalty
- Weight category
- -78kg, her second competition in the division
- Training base
- Baba Ganga Nath Judo and Kurash Academy in Munirka, Delhi
- Federation situation
- The article says India lacks a recognised national kurash federation amid infighting among rival bodies