Kinga Wangmo Wins on Her Asian Games Debut as Bhutan Secures Historic Boxing Victory
NISHIO, JAPAN | 25 SEPTEMBER 2026
Kinga Wangmo has announced herself on the Asian Games stage with a composed and convincing victory, defeating Bahrain’s Maryam Khamis by a unanimous 5–0 decision in the Women’s 54kg Preliminary Round of 16 at Nishio Gymnasium on Friday evening.
The victory gives Bhutan its first boxing win at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and sends Kinga through to the next round of the competition. It is also a landmark result for Bhutanese women’s boxing, with Kinga becoming the first Bhutanese woman to win a boxing bout at the Asian Games.
From the opening exchanges, Kinga looked settled in the ring, maintaining her shape and composure while looking for her opportunities against the Bahraini boxer. She worked behind her punches, stayed disciplined through the exchanges and refused to be drawn into unnecessary exchanges, allowing her to build control as the bout progressed.
The judges reflected that control on the scorecards. Four of the five judges awarded Kinga all three rounds by 10–9, while the fourth judge also had Kinga ahead after the opening two rounds before giving the final round to Khamis. The final scorecards read 30–27, 30–27, 30–27, 29–28 and 30–27 in Kinga’s favour.
There were no warnings and no knockdowns in the contest, with the bout going the full three rounds before Kinga’s hand was raised.
For Kinga, the victory carries particular significance. She entered the tournament as the only female boxer in Team Bhutan and was also the final Bhutanese boxer scheduled to compete at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, following Migma Dorji’s 55kg bout and Kinley Phuntsho’s 60kg contest earlier in the Games. The Bhutan Olympic Committee lists Kinga as one of three boxers representing Bhutan at these Asian Games.
Her Asian Games debut also comes after a strong result at the 2025 Four Nations Boxing Championship in Thimphu, where she won gold in the women’s 57kg category. This time, she stepped into the ring at 54kg, against a new opponent and under the pressure of an Asian Games crowd, but looked comfortable with the task in front of her.
Kinga had spoken before the Games about the challenge of making her Asian Games debut and her hope that her participation would encourage more Bhutanese women to take up boxing and eventually compete at the international level. On Friday night, she gave that message a powerful meaning inside the ring. She walked into Nishio Gymnasium as Bhutan’s lone female boxer. She walked out as an Asian Games winner.
OFFICIAL RESULT
Kinga Wangmo 🇧🇹 5–0 Maryam Khamis 🇧🇭
Women’s 54kg | Preliminary Round of 16
Bout 74 | Nishio Gymnasium
25 September 2026
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