Pincky Balhara wins kurash bronze at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games despite injured knee

Pincky Balhara won a bronze medal for India in the women's 78kg kurash event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, competing with an injured right knee after losing her semi-final 5-0 to South Korea’s Sumin Mo.

The 28-year-old Delhi athlete took part in her third Asian Games and added a second continental medal to the bronze she won at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Kurash, the Central Asian grappling sport practised in Uzbekistan, sees competitors wearing jackets and scoring by throwing an opponent flat or onto their side.

In the semi-final at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall, Sumin Mo targeted Balhara’s heavily strapped right knee, disrupting the Indian’s attacking tactics and securing a 5-0 victory that left Balhara with bronze. Balhara had been carrying the knee injury into the match and was unable to impose her usual offensive game.

Reflecting on the bout in an interview with SAI media, Balhara said: "I was determined not to give away points. Sumin knew my weakness, and she made good use of that." She described how the opponent’s strategy neutralised her chances to score.

Balhara also addressed criticism she faced after personal bereavement, saying: "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," and added: "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 for, I am not stopping yet. I have worked very hard in the last eight years for this medal."

The Indian kurash contingent at Aichi-Nagoya comprised six members who held a brief camp in Saharanpur ahead of the Games. Ravi Kapoor, president of the Indian Kurash Association, said: "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." Balhara recalled that before the 2018 Asian Games the team trained for 19 days in Uzbekistan and that "The tough training there helped. We learnt to be competitive and did that the hard way. We need more such camps before big events," she said.

Kapoor outlined longer-term needs for the sport in India, noting kurash has been organised since 2000 and that athletes, including those who transitioned from judo, have produced medals over 26 years. He added: "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."