Kumkum Mohod Advances to Archery Final at Asian Games 2026

Kumkum Mohod has made headlines at the Asian Games 2026 by defeating China's Zhu Jingyi to reach the women's individual recurve archery final. The 17-year-old archer previously stunned the world by beating South Korea's Olympic champion in the quarterfinals. With a chance to become the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve medal at the Asian Games, Kumkum's journey has been remarkable, including a team gold and mixed team silver. Her final match against South Korea's Yejin Oh is highly anticipated.

By Narendra Chaudhary Oct 3, 2026, 08:21 IST

Kumkum Mohod's Stellar Performance

Indian archer Kumkum Mohod has continued her impressive journey at the Asian Games 2026, defeating China's Zhu Jingyi with a score of 6-2 to secure her spot in the women's individual recurve archery final. This victory places the 17-year-old just one win away from making history. Earlier, she had shocked the archery world by beating South Korea's reigning world and Olympic champion, Kang Chaeyoung, with a score of 6-4 in the quarterfinals, showcasing her remarkable skill and composure.

Intense Semifinal Match

Kumkum kicked off the semifinal with a strong performance, winning the first set 28-27, which gave her a 2-0 lead. The second set ended in a tie at 30-30, with both archers achieving perfect scores, leaving Kumkum ahead at 3-1.

In the third set, Zhu scored 29 while Kumkum managed 28, allowing the Indian archer to maintain a 4-2 lead.

As the final set approached, Kumkum remained calm under pressure. Both archers started with 9s, followed by 10s. Zhu then scored a 9, putting the pressure on Kumkum, who needed a 10 with her last arrow to win. She delivered, hitting the 10-ring and securing her place in the gold medal match with a final score of 6-2.

Chasing Gold

Kumkum is set to compete against South Korea's Yejin Oh in the final, scheduled for 7:20 AM IST on Saturday. A win would make her the first Indian woman to earn an individual recurve medal at the Asian Games. The only previous individual recurve medal for India at this event was a silver won by Tarundeep Rai during the 2010 Guangzhou Games.

A Remarkable Journey

Kumkum's journey in Aichi-Nagoya has been nothing short of extraordinary. On Friday, she contributed to India's first-ever Asian Games gold in the women's recurve team event, teaming up with Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma to achieve a 5-3 victory over South Korea. Additionally, she partnered with Dhiraj Bommadevara to secure a silver in the mixed recurve team event, where India fell short against China with a score of 3-5.

Her victory over Zhu signifies that she has triumphed over both finalists from the previous World Championships in consecutive rounds, having previously defeated Kang in the quarterfinals. The young archer now has the opportunity to add an individual gold medal to her collection, which already includes a team gold and a mixed team silver from the Games.