India’s Kumkum makes history with archery gold at Asian Games

Published: October 03, 2026 10:18 AM IST

Kumkum Mohod, a 17-year-old Indian archer, secured India’s first-ever individual recurve archery gold medal at the Asian Games.

Her victory in the final against South Korea’s Oh Yejin was decided in a shoot-out, where Mohod scored a perfect 10.

Mohod’s performance also earned her a quota spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Nagoya: India’s teenage archer Kumkum Mohod etched herself into the history books with the country’s first-ever Asian Games individual recurve archery gold here on Saturday. The 17-year-old landed the arrow into the 10-ring in the shoot-out to beat South Korea’s Oh Yejin 6-5 in the final and become the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the individual recurve event.

The scores were levelled at 5-5, as Kumkum forced a shoot-out late in the game with three 10-pointers in the final set. In the shoot out, Yejin managed to find an 8 and Kumkum needed a 9 or better to win and she delivered a decisive 10 to secure the gold.

The teenager bagged three medals in the competition, including two golds and a silver. She had previously won the women’s team recurve gold with Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma while settled for a silver in the mixed pair event with Dhiraj Bommadevara on Friday.

Tarundeep Rai, who won silver at Guangzhou 2010, remains the only other Indian to win an individual recurve medal at the Asian Games. Kumkum’s run to the final also secured her a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
(With PTI inputs).