India’s Pincky Balhara took a bronze medal in the women’s -78kg Kurash event at the Asian Games 2026 after losing the semifinal to South Korea’s Mo Sumin in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday. Balhara was 0-5 in the final but her win in the semifinals ensured another podium finish for India in the martial arts discipline.
The bronze medal brings Balhara’s Asian Games collection to eight years old, with silver in the women’s -52kg category at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Kurash made its debut at the continental event in Jakarta, where Balhara made her mark at the Asian Games with a silver medal. She has now won a second Asian Games medal in the sport.
Balhara had made her way into the semifinals after a strong performance in the quarterfinal. The Indian defeated South Korea’s Garam Lim 3-0 to get into the final four and assured herself of a medal. Balhara made the final scoring move with a ‘Chala’ while Lim received a warning.
But the semifinal against Mo Sumin proved to be a tougher challenge. The South Korean dominated and won 5-0. Balhara received a ‘Dakki’ (once warnings are issued in Kurash) and Sumin scored with a ‘Chala’ and a ‘Yonbosh’ (full point). The result put Sumin in the gold medal contest and Balhara in bronze.
Despite the fact that Balhara failed to make it to the final, Balhara’s semifinal performance in her Kurash was another significant point in her Kurash career. She became a two-time Asian Games medallist after her silver medal-winning effort in Jakarta in 2018 which took her to her second consecutive medal in 2018.
And her latest bronze also means another podium finish for India in Kurash in the Asian Games for India in her career.
Balhara’s sport also included judo. Before she got to Kurash she was already in judo and won gold at the 2018 Asian Junior Judo Championships. She later made the Indian Kurash team and won silver at the 2018 Asian Games. She has switched between the two disciplines and is one of India's top competitors in the combat sports category in the continental space.
Her bronze came after a difficult start for India in the Kurash competition. Many Indian athletes had suffered defeats in the opening stages, including Vishal who lost his men's +90kg quarterfinal to Thailand's Kunathip Yea-On. Sangita Balhara was also defeated in the women's -57kg Round of 32, while Bharti and Yash Kumar Chauhan left their respective events after defeats.
For Pincky, however, the campaign ended on the podium. Her quarterfinal victory against Lim had already guaranteed India a medal and while Mo Sumin could not take her gold-medal opportunity, Balhara won a bronze.
It is particularly significant because of the gap between her two Asian Games medals. Balhara won silver in Jakarta eight years ago and she was back to the podium in Aichi-Nagoya with a bronze in a different weight category. Her performance means she is still one of the best performers in the Asian Kurash competition.
Balhara’s medal also helps India’s medal count at the Asian Games and is another good result in a discipline where Indian athletes have had to contend with lots of tough foes. Her progression from the quarterfinal to the semifinal and eventual bronze medal means Kurash will be part of India’s medal story at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
For the 27-year-old, the bronze represents another memorable chapter in her Asian Games career. From a silver medal in Kurash’s debut at Jakarta 2018 to a bronze in the -78kg category at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, Balhara has twice been on the continental podium.
