At 19, Pincky lost 3 family members; now she’s India’s only multiple Kurash medallist

Three family deaths in quick succession could have brought Pincky Balhara’s sporting journey to a halt. Instead, the Delhi athlete carried her grief into the competition arena, turned her father’s dream into motivation and went on to win an Asian Games medal.Eight years after her historic silver at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Balhara returned to the continental podium on Monday, winning bronze in the women’s -78kg Kurash event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. The bronze is Balhara’s second Asian Games medal in Kurash, following her silver in the women’s -52kg category in Jakarta. She has now become the only Indian athlete to win multiple Asian Games medals in Kurash.What is Kurash?Kurash is a traditional Central Asian martial art that originated in the region and is particularly associated with Uzbekistan. It made its Asian Games debut at the 2018 Jakarta Games.