Pincky Balhara Assures India a Kurash Medal at Asian Games 2026 With 3-0 Quarterfinal Win

India added another medal to its Asian Games 2026 tally on Monday morning, and it came from one of the least familiar sports on the programme. Pincky Balhara defeated South Korea's Lim Garam 3-0 in the women's 78kg kurash quarterfinal in Aichi-Nagoya, securing a place in the semifinals and guaranteeing herself at least a bronze medal.

Kurash awards two bronze medals in each weight category, so a quarterfinal win is enough to put an athlete on the podium. Balhara is now one win away from the gold-medal bout.

A comeback four years in the making

The result means a lot to Balhara personally. She won silver at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, the edition where kurash made its Asian Games debut, and became one of the faces of the sport in India. At Hangzhou in 2022, however, she lost in the quarterfinals and went home without a medal.

Monday's win, against an opponent from one of the stronger combat-sport nations in the region, puts her back among Asia's best in the heavier women's division. It also gives India its third medal in kurash since the sport entered the Games.

What is kurash?

Kurash is a traditional form of standing wrestling from Central Asia, most closely associated with Uzbekistan, where it has been practised for centuries at festivals and celebrations. The modern version was codified in Uzbekistan in the late 20th century and is now governed internationally by the International Kurash Association.

Wrestlers wear a loose jacket called a yaktak and grip each other's jackets and belts. Unlike judo or freestyle wrestling, there is no ground fighting, and grabbing the legs or attacking below the waist is a foul. Points come from throws, and a perfect throw that lands the opponent flat on the back with speed and control, known as a halal, ends the contest immediately.

Mixed morning elsewhere for India

Balhara's medal was the highlight of an uneven morning session for the Indian contingent. In shooting, the women's 25m pistol team of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Rahi Sarnobat finished fifth with 1727 points, well behind gold medallists China. Esha scraped into the individual final in eighth place, while two-time Olympic medallist Bhaker finished 11th in qualification and missed the final.

In archery, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru edged compatriot Sahil Jadhav 149-148 in an all-Indian compound round of 16 and will face Chinese Taipei's Chen Chieh-lun in the quarterfinals on October 1. Surfer Sivaraj Babu went out in round three of the men's shortboard.

The rest of Day 9 is packed. The men's cricket team opens its title defence against Afghanistan in a rain-threatened quarterfinal, Lovlina Borgohain boxes for a guaranteed medal in the women's 75kg division, and athletics offers several finals, including the men's 3,000m steeplechase, long jump and javelin.

For Balhara, the immediate task is the semifinal, where a win would set up a shot at India's first-ever Asian Games gold in the sport.

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