Parveen Hooda, a 26-year-old boxer from Rurkee village in Rohtak district, brought laurels to her village, state and country by landing a golden punch at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.As she won the gold medal, family members, villagers and relatives gathered at her home and celebrated the victory by distributing ladoos and bursting firecrackers in the village.Posted as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Parveen had begun her journey by winning a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, but she was handed a 22-month ban (from December 2022 to May 2024) by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period in May 2024.The suspension not only cost India the 57 kg Olympic quota she had earned but also stripped her of the Asian Games bronze medal. But Parveen is a fighter, and fighting against all odds, she made a comeback to the boxing ring and won the gold medal at the Asian Games.Parveen Hooda secured the gold medal by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-Chen in the final of the women’s 65 kg event at the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Friday.Parveen’s father, Lakhpat Hooda, has been a cancer patient for the last four years and is also a heart patient. The family owns a small piece of land, while her mother Neelam, a housewife, also sells milk.Feeling elated, Neelam, mother of Asian Games gold medallist Parveen, said her daughter started boxing at the village ground at the age of 11-12 years.“It is a proud moment not only for the family but for the entire village, as a daughter of the village has won a gold medal for the country at the international tournament. It is the result of Parveen’s hard work and dedication to her game,” she said.“It was a tough time for the family when Parveen’s father developed heart problems in 2004 and underwent surgery. He has been fighting cancer for the last four years. But the situation changed when Parveen got selected in ITBP and after that she began taking care of the family,” Neelam said.Vijay Hooda, a coach in Rurkee village, said he along with former sarpanch Sudhir Hooda was nurturing talent in boxing, especially for girls, at the village stadium at that time. Parveen came to the boxing ring in 2012 and practised very hard.Parveen is around 6-ft tall, which gives her a technical edge during bouts. Her game is defensive and she plays maintaining good distance, and her footwork is also good, said Vijay, Parveen’s childhood coach.She is presently practising at the SAI centre in Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Rohtak under a SAI coach. However, during Covid she returned to the village ground and practised there, Vijay added.