Parveen Hooda claims Asian Games gold after earlier medal controversy

Wrestler Parveen Hooda has secured a gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, marking a redemption moment after a contentious experience three years prior. Competing at the Nishio City General Gymnasium in southeast Nagoya on Friday evening, Hooda defeated World No. 1 and Olympic bronze medallist Chen Nien Chen by a narrow split decision in a closely fought final, turning around a fight that was threatening to fall apart.

Hooda's comeback is rooted in personal tragedy and perseverance. Three years earlier at the Hangzhou Asian Games, she had won a bronze medal that also earned her a quota for the Paris Olympics. However, six months after those games, she was told the medal was no longer hers. She had not filled out the online form required to update testers on her whereabouts for surprise doping tests, a requirement from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Hooda never actually failed a test but lost the medal due to this procedural violation.

Upon winning in Nagoya, Hooda immediately spoke to her parents on the phone. "We were mostly crying," she said later, her eyes still moist. She plans to frame her gold medal for prime position on her living room wall in Rohtak, Haryana, where the bronze medal from Hangzhou previously hung. This time, she is making sure the medal stays with her.