Priya Ghanghas Clinches Women’s 60kg Bronze At Asian Games 2026 After Semifinal Defeat

India added three medals to its Asian Games 2026 tally on Wednesday as boxer Priya Ghanghas secured bronze in the women’s 60kg category, while the country’s compound archers delivered two gold-medal performances. Ghanghas, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, lost 1-4 to China’s Yang Chengyu in the semifinal at Nishio Gymnasium, ending her campaign with a podium finish. The result took India’s medal tally to 55, comprising eight golds, 21 silvers and 26 bronze medals.

Ghanghas faced a strong challenge from Yang, who progressed to the final after winning the semifinal on a split decision. The Chinese boxer began aggressively in the opening round, but Ghanghas responded with counter-punches and combinations as the contest progressed. The first round was closely fought, with Yang taking it 3-2. Ghanghas then struggled to find consistent openings in the second round as Yang increased her attacking pressure and was awarded the round 4-1. The Chinese boxer maintained her defensive discipline in the final round and again won 4-1 to secure her place in the gold-medal bout.

Earlier in the day, India’s women’s compound archery team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep won gold after defeating China 238-234 in the final. India controlled the contest from the opening rotation and maintained its advantage through the remaining rounds. The victory also gave Jyothi her fourth Asian Games gold medal, while Chikitha and Prithika secured their first Asian Games golds. The Indian trio had earlier defeated South Korea 234-233 in the semifinal.

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Chikitha then added another gold to her medal collection alongside Sahil Jadhav in the compound mixed team event. The Indian pair defeated South Korea in a dramatic shoot-off after the final ended level at 157-157. India scored 20 points in the shoot-off compared with South Korea’s 19 to claim the title. The victory was significant beyond the Asian Games medal as it secured India a quota place for the compound mixed team event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where the discipline is scheduled to make its Olympic debut.

The mixed team final followed a tense semifinal in which Chikitha and Sahil defeated Thailand 156-155 to book their place in the title clash. The Indian pair remained composed under pressure in the final before forcing the contest into a shoot-off and producing the decisive 20-point score. For Chikitha, the victory marked her second gold medal of the day after the women’s team triumph alongside Jyothi and Prithika. India’s compound archery teams also retained titles won at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The three medals added on Wednesday strengthened India’s campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with boxing and archery emerging as important contributors to the medal tally. Priya’s bronze came after her run to the last four of the women’s 60kg competition, while the two archery golds brought both Asian Games success and an Olympic qualification milestone. With the Games continuing, Indian athletes remain involved in medal contests across boxing, hockey, wrestling, shooting, archery and other disciplines.

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