Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Parveen Hooda was 22 when she won bronze at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, a medal that seemed to mark the beginning of a bigger journey. An Olympic debut looked within reach. Then came a suspension, a lost medal, and the Olympic Games she never got to attend. Three years later, after nearly two years away from the ring and another setback in Glasgow, Parveen is back where she always wanted to be. She is one win away from Asian Games gold.
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Parveen beat China’s Li Shu 4-1 in the women’s 65kg semi-final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday. On Friday, she will face Chen Nien-chin of Chinese Taipei, a bronze medallist at the Paris Olympics.
Everything changed after Hangzhou. The International Testing Agency suspended Parveen for whereabouts failures, with the ban keeping her out of competition for nearly two years. Her Asian Games bronze was stripped from the record, while the suspension also cost her the chance to compete for an Olympic quota place and ultimately ended her hopes of making the Paris Games.
It came just as her career was gathering momentum. Parveen had won bronze at the 2022 IBA World Championships and gold at that year’s Asian Boxing Championships. The Asian Games medal was another step towards what she hoped would be an Olympic debut. Instead, she spent almost two years away from the ring.
When the suspension ended, Parveen had to start again. She worked her way back into contention and won gold at the World Boxing Cup Finals in late 2025. But the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow brought another setback. She lost her quarter-final to England’s Sacha Hickey on a split decision and left without a medal.
For a boxer trying to rebuild after such a long absence, it was another difficult moment. Against Li, however, there was little sign of the disappointment that had followed her in recent years.
Both boxers were cautious early on, but Parveen gradually found her rhythm. Her counter-punching began to land and three of the five judges gave her the opening round. She continued to control the distance in the second, making Li pay whenever the Chinese boxer tried to close in. All five judges scored that round in Parveen’s favour.
Li tried to change the contest in the third, making it more physical and pushing forward. Parveen did not get drawn into the chaos. She stayed patient, picked her shots and took the round 4-1 to seal her place in the final.
She is now only the third Indian woman boxer to reach an Asian Games final. MC Mary Kom won gold in 2014, while Lovlina Borgohain took silver at the previous edition.
Chen will present another challenge on Friday. The Chinese Taipei boxer won bronze at the Paris Olympics and will bring plenty of experience into the final. But Parveen has already travelled a long way to get here.
The medal she won in Hangzhou was taken away. Paris passed her by. Glasgow ended in another early exit. Now, she has a chance to win the Asian Games gold she never got to defend. One fight stands between Parveen and the title.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
