Asian Games: Breakout star Ankush claims gold on debut

New Delhi: These have been a whirlwind 11 months for Ankush Panghal. The 21-year-old boxer from Hisar in Haryana broke onto the scene at the season-ending World Boxing Cup Final in Greater Noida last November. Coming in as a late injury replacement for Lakshya Chahar, Ankush won a silver medal in the 80kg final after losing to England’s Oladimeji Shittu.

Despite the loss, his enterprising, fearless boxing stood out and several national coaches marked him as a talent to watch. On Friday, he lived up to the billing, marching his way to gold and establishing himself as the future of Indian men’s boxing.

Ankush defeated South Korea’s Kim Minesong in a 4-0 verdict to seal a memorable Asiad debut. The last Indian man to win an Asian Games gold was Amit Panghal in 2018 and the last Indian to win a heavyweight gold at the Games was late Hawa Singh, who won in 1966 and 1970.

Known in domestic circles for his attacking style, Ankush moved well, threw in precise punches and refused to let the occasion or the opponent affect him. He absorbed some punishment in the first and third rounds when Kim boxed him to the corner and rained a barrage of body punches, but Ankush’s guard remained up. He used his fast hands to inflict damage, and his powerful right did most of the talking as the bout wore on.

Ankush’s gold summed up a brilliant boxing campaign for India that ended with three gold and three bronze medals. Priya Ghanghas (women’s 60kg), Kapil Pokhariya (men’s 90kg), and Narender Brewal (men’s +90kg) will return with bronze medals.

India topped the charts in boxing at the Games, followed by Uzbekistan (7 medals; 2 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze) and Kazakhstan (4 medals; 2-0-2).