Kumkum Mohod Makes History with Gold at Asian Games
Historic Win for Kumkum Mohod
File image of Indian athlete Kumkum Mahod(Photo: @DuttShekhar/X)
Okazaki, Oct 3: In a groundbreaking achievement, 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod has become the first Indian woman to secure a medal in the individual recurve event at the Asian Games. She clinched the gold medal on Saturday by defeating South Korea’s Yejin Oh in a thrilling shoot-off.
The final match concluded with a score of 6-5 after both competitors were tied at 5-5 following five sets. The decisive moment came when Oh scored an 8, while Kumkum responded with a perfect 10, sealing her victory.
This triumph also granted India an individual quota spot for the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with both athletes earning a quota for their nations.
Kumkum faced an early challenge in the final, as Oh took the lead by winning the first set 29-27. The second set ended in a tie at 29-29, leaving Oh ahead 3-1.
However, Kumkum showcased her resilience in the third set, scoring three consecutive 10s for a perfect 30, while Oh managed 29, allowing Kumkum to equalize the match at 3-3.
Oh regained the lead in the fourth set, winning it 28-27, putting her just one set point away from the title at 5-3.
Facing potential elimination, Kumkum delivered an impressive performance in the fifth set, starting with a 10 and following it with two more 10s, finishing with another perfect 30. Oh scored 28, which pushed the match into a shoot-off.
In the final one-arrow shoot-off, Kumkum maintained her composure to complete her comeback and secure the gold medal.
This victory caps off an extraordinary campaign for Kumkum at the Asian Games. She had initially qualified 10th in the ranking round and went on to defeat South Korea’s reigning world champion and Olympic team gold medallist Kang Chaeyoung in the quarterfinals.
She then triumphed over China’s Jingyi Zhu, the silver medallist from the 2025 World Championships, with a score of 6-2 in the semifinals, making her the first Indian woman to reach the final in the individual recurve event at the Asian Games.
With this gold medal, Kumkum has made history as the first Indian woman to win the Asian Games individual recurve title.
China’s Yuwei Huang secured the bronze medal by defeating her compatriot Jingyi Zhu 6-4 in the bronze-medal match.