Parveen Hooda’s redemption fight: From 22-month ban and lost medal to Asian Games final

As Parveen Hooda unleashes fury inside the ring, she is fighting battles far beyond it. The Rohtak boxer is punching at more than an opponent now. Every counter carries the weight of a medal taken away, an Olympic dream that vanished and a family waiting for relief.The road here has been paved with setbacks, sacrifice and a hunger for redemption.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal TallyThree years ago, Parveen won bronze at the Hangzhou Games. Then came the whereabouts failure, a 22-month suspension and the stripping of her medal. The Paris Olympics slipped away. Her Glasgow CWG return in July-August ended in a quarterfinal defeat.Now, in Aichi-Nagoya, she has fought her way back to the final, beating China’s Li Shu 5-0 in the 65kg semifinal.A silver is assured. But Parveen is not looking back. She wants gold and full redemption.Her fight has always extended beyond the ring. Her father, Lakhpat Hooda, has been battling cancer for four years and is also a heart patient. Her mother, Neelam Devi, sells buffalo milk to keep the household running, while Parveen’s 20-year-old younger brother is studying.An ITBP Assistant Sub-Inspector, Parveen has become the family’s principal breadwinner.“Parveen takes care of every need of the family,” her childhood coach Sudhir Hooda told TOI. “She has been funding her father’s medical treatment with cash awards from boxing and her ITBP income.”Hooda first saw Parveen in April 2010. She was in Class 5, barely 22kg, and came from a family that struggled to afford boxing nutrition.“I became the village sarpanch and opened an academy in Rohtak to keep youngsters away from drugs and crime, offering 80 children free coaching, milk and diet. Parveen was one of the brightest.”Ankush Panghal provided another headline, stunning Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Erkinboev 4-1 in the 80kg semifinal.After dropping the opening round, Ankush changed gears, attacked the body and dominated the finish. He is India’s first male Asian Games finalist since Amit Panghal in 2018.Narender Berwal secured bronze after a 0-5 loss to reigning world champion Aibek Oralbay of Kazakhstan in the +90kg semifinal. It is his second straight Asian Games bronze.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.