Parveen Hooda pulled off a thrilling 3‑2 split‑decision victory over Chen Nien‑Chen in the women’s 65kg final at the Asian Games, proving her nerves were unbreakable in the deciding round.
After a cautious opening round that Hooda dominated 5‑0 with crisp counters, the fight tightened when Chen seized the second round 10‑9 across all cards. With the score tied, Chen launched a blistering assault in the finale, but Hooda’s counter‑punching turned the tide, snatching the last round and the gold.
The victory is a huge redemption for Hooda, whose previous medal from the Hangzhou Games was stripped over a doping violation and whose Commonwealth Games run ended in the quarter‑finals. Chen, a former world champion and 2026 Asian Championship gold medallist, made the bout a high‑stakes showcase of skill.
With the gold, Hooda joins Lovlina Borgohain, who also lifted a gold earlier this week, bolstering India’s boxing medal tally as the Games head toward their final days.