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Indian boxer Priya Ghanghas will celebrate her maiden Asian Games medal with her favourite Paneer Jalebi after settling for bronze in the women's 60kg boxing event at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Priya, who had famously said she would eat Ghevar after winning gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, has chosen a different sweet to mark her bronze medal at the continental showpiece. "My favourite is Paneer Jalebi. So, I will eat Jalebi," Priya told ANI. The 2026 Commonwealth Games gold medallist had to settle for bronze in her first Asian Games appearance after losing to China's Yang Chengyu in the women's 60kg semifinal. Priya admitted she had hoped to go all the way but said the bronze remained significant in her maiden outing at the Asian Games. "I was hoping to win the gold medal. But I won the bronze medal in my first Asian Games. It is a big deal for me. I have to be satisfied with this. But next time, I will definitely win the gold medal," she said. Priya said she was already looking ahead to the World Championships in April and identified areas that she needs to improve after her Asian Games campaign. "I had some shortcomings. Next time, I will improve them. I will prepare for the World Championship in April. I will do better because I will face the same opponents in the future. I had a lot of experience with this medal. Next time, I will do better," said the 20-year-old pugilist. Against Yang, Priya started with counter-punches after the Chinese boxer came out aggressively. The Indian found some success with combinations midway through the opening round, but Yang finished strongly to take it 3-2 on the judges' scorecards. Yang continued her aggressive approach in the second round and won it 4-1. Priya struggled to land clean punches in the final round as Yang maintained a solid defence and secured another 4-1 verdict to win the semifinal. Priya dedicated her first Asian Games medal to the Indian supporters. "I will dedicate the medal to the Indians," said Ghanghas. The boxer also credited the support she received through the Khelo India scheme and the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for helping her reach the podium. "Earlier, I was in the Khelo India scheme. Now, I am in the TOPS core team. They helped me a lot. That is why I am here. I won the bronze medal for my country," she concluded. Priya's bronze added to India's medal tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and continued her impressive run in 2026 after her Commonwealth Games gold. (ANI)
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