Aichi-Nagoya (Japan): India's Kumkum Mohod created history by winning the gold medal in women's individual recurve archery at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday. The thrilling final was decided in a shoot-off, where Kumkum shot a perfect 10 to defeat Oh Yejin of South Korea.
With this win, Kumkum became the first Indian woman to win a women's individual recurve gold medal at the Asian Games. He also secured the quota for Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
Great comeback after falling behind
Kumkum's start in the finals was not as expected. She was trailing 2-0 after the first set and after two sets the South Korean player took a 3-1 lead. The Indian archer then made a strong comeback and leveled the match at 3-3.
After the fourth set, Oh Yejin took a 5-3 lead. Despite this, Kumkum performed well under pressure and won the last set 30-28 and took the match to the shoot-off.
One arrow decided the decision of gold
In the shoot-off, both the players had to shoot one arrow each. Oh Yejin scored 8 points, while Kumkum shot 10 straight to capture the gold medal.
Kumkum's brilliant campaign in Asian Games
The Asian Games 2026 have been a huge success for Kumkum Mohod. Before winning gold in the individual recurve, she had also won a gold medal in the women's recurve team event and a silver medal in the recurve mixed team event.
Both women's individual recurve finalists also secured Los Angeles 2028 Olympic quota places for their respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs).
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