Nishio, October 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian boxer Parveen Hooda said her ability to rebuild herself mentally after a nearly two-year ban and a series of career setbacks helped her make a strong comeback and win the women’s 65kg gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games on Friday.
Parveen, who was handed a 22-month suspension in 2023 for violating the Whereabouts Clause, returned to competition after serving her ban but suffered another setback at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where she was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
She had also forfeited the bronze medal she won at the 2022 Asian Games following the suspension, making her return to the top particularly challenging.
However, Parveen chose to rebuild her career rather than allow the setbacks to define her. On Friday, she defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nien-chin Che to claim her maiden Asian Games gold medal, securing India’s second gold in women’s boxing at the ongoing Games.
“When all that happened to me, I was mentally down. Everything was over. I had to start from zero. I was sad for a few days. Then I reset my mind,” Parveen told reporters after her victory.
“I told myself that if I don’t train now and don’t make a comeback, I will live in regret all my life. Because of a small mistake, so much happened. So I decided to take everything the other way around,” she added.
The 26-year-old also recalled the emotional toll of her quarter-final defeat in Glasgow, where she was left heartbroken while watching her fellow Indian boxers succeed.
“I was standing there and crying. I thought, what’s the point of crying now? Let’s do hard work. Otherwise, I will cry again in the next competition. So the next day, I got up and did my strength training. I thought, ‘I will cry as much as I want; I will come laughing in the next competition,’” she said.
That change in mindset proved crucial in the Asian Games final, where Parveen faced a closely contested battle. She dominated the opening round 5-0, but Che fought back to take the second round by an identical score. With the gold medal on the line, Parveen held her nerve and edged the deciding round 3-2.
“In the third round, I had to make a decision. I just remembered that I want to become the deputy director. In Haryana, if I win gold, I will get the role of deputy director. It was my dream job. Then I went and took the round in my favour,” she said.
Parveen said she had learned to remain mentally balanced and concentrate on her efforts rather than become preoccupied with the result.
“I was feeling bad, but I was grateful for those things that boxing has given me so much. So I thought about the result, as the Gita says: do karma; don’t worry about the result. I thought that I would do my training with all my heart; I give my best. The result will come or not, so I was mentally neutral,” she said.
Describing this phase as the “second journey” of her career, Parveen said the difficult experiences had helped her become stronger and more mature.
“I can say that it is my second journey, but this time I am stronger than before because when we start again, we become more mentally strong. I have become stronger and more mature. I handle my own things, and I don’t depend on others. I have become more mature and mentally strong,” she added.
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