Within hours, four sportspersons from Haryana, wrestler Sujeet Kalakal of Charkhi Dadri, boxers Ankush Panghal of Hisar and Parveen Hooda of Rohtak, and archer Kirti Sharma of Jind , won gold at Asian Games on Friday, triggering celebrations in their native villages and adding another memorable chapter to Haryana’s long association with Indian sport.
For Haryana,the four golds are more than just a medal tally. They are four different family stories of parents backing their children through defeats, modest beginnings and athletes refusing to give up.
International boxer Parveen Hooda from Rohtak’s Rurki village has etched her name in history by winning the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. The fighter from village Rurki defeated Taiwan’s Chen Nien-Chin, a world champion and Olympic bronze medallist. Before leaving home for the competition, Parveen had promised her family that she would return with a medal this time.
Her father, Lakhpat Hooda, has been unwell for the past four years and amid the family’s financial struggles, her mother, Neelam Devi, supports the household by selling buffalo milk, while Parveen’s 20-year-old younger brother is still pursuing his studies.
“We are very proud of our daughter. She has done what she promised us — to win a gold medal,” said Parveen’s mother, Neelam Hooda. “This is the result of the struggle our family has gone through. She has worked very hard to help bring our family out of poverty,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}“We are very proud of our daughter. She has done what she promised us — to win a gold medal,” said Parveen’s mother, Neelam Hooda. “This is the result of the struggle our family has gone through. She has worked very hard to help bring our family out of poverty,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}Celebrations began in the Imlota village in Charkhi Dadri, soon after Sujeet Kalkal secured his freestyle wrestling gold. Family members and villagers gathered around the television to watch the final. As the victory became official, drums and firecrackers replaced the tension of the bout, while preparations began for a grand welcome for the village’s new sporting hero.
His father, Dayanand Kalakal, is a wrestling coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) at Sonipat. He watched his son’s triumph with pride and said Sujeet had left home promising that he would return with gold. “He has not lost a bout since 2025,” Dayanand said, adding that defeating an Olympic champion in the latter’s own country was a major achievement. His next target, he said, is an Olympic gold.
Sujeet’s mother Manjit Devi had her own measure of the victory. Before he left, she prepared churma for him and he promised her, he would win gold. Now, she is waiting to feed him the same traditional dish when he returns.
Around 100 km away, another Haryana village had a similar story unfolding. In Bherya village of Hisar, Ankush Panghal’s family watched their 22-year-old son defeat South Korea’s Kim Min-seong 4-0 in the 80kg final. Sweets were distributed and villagers began planning a victory procession.
Ankush’s journey began not in a boxing ring but on a kabaddi court. Born into a farming family, he initially played kabaddi and even won a district-level gold. His father Suresh Panghal, a former national-level kabaddi player, persuaded him to switch to boxing. When Ankush was just 11, Suresh began making a daily 15-km journey to take him to training and bring him home. After Ankush lost the 2018 state championship final, he considered quitting the sport. His father and coach Praveen Sawant convinced him to continue. Ankush went on to win a World Championship silver in 2025 and a Commonwealth Games gold before adding the Asian Games title to his record.
Similarly, in Jind’s Ritoli village, the fourth gold brought a different kind of sporting story. Kirti Sharma, who was more interested in studies than sport as a child, became an Asian Games champion after being introduced to archery almost by chance at her school. On Friday, Kirti, along with Kumkum Mahod and Ankita Bhakat, helped India defeat 10-time champions South Korea 5-3 in the women’s recurve team final at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square.
“I had no idea that the bow would be so expensive and I had only two acres of land. But I was always clear that I would leave no stone unturned for my children’s future,” her father Vijay told the media persons. Kirti’s mother, Guddi Devi, said she spoke to her daughter over the phone soon after her gold-medal victory, sharing the family’s joy over the historic achievement.