SportsPosted at: Oct 3 2026 6:13PM


Asian Games: Archer Kumkum caps three-medal campaign with historic recurve gold, secures LA quota

New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) At just 17, Kumkum Mohod produced one of the most remarkable performances of India’s Asian Games campaign, winning the women’s individual recurve gold and securing a quota place for India at the LA 2028 Olympics.
The teenager from Maharasthra’s Amravati held her nerve in a tense final against South Korea’s Oh Yejin at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square, recovering from a slow start to force a shoot-off at 5-5. Oh shot an eight with the gold at stake, but Kumkum responded with a perfect 10 to become the first Indian to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games.
The victory capped an extraordinary three-medal campaign for Kumkum, who had earlier helped India win the women’s recurve team gold and combined with Dhiraj Bommadevara for mixed team silver.
Her individual triumph was made even more significant by the quality of the opposition she defeated. In the quarter-finals, Kumkum beat South Korea’s reigning world champion and Olympic medallist Kang Chaeyoung 6-3 before overcoming China’s Zhu Jingyi 6-2 in the semi-finals. Kang and Zhu had contested the World Championship final.
Kumkum started the gold-medal match with an eight as Oh took the opening set 29-27. The second ended 29-29 before Kumkum hit a perfect 30 in the third to level the contest. She then found herself 5-3 down after the fourth set and needed to win the fifth to stay alive.
She delivered another perfect 30 to force the shoot-off.
Oh, a 23-year-old who had come through South Korea’s fiercely competitive selection process, could only manage an eight with the title on the line. Kumkum calmly drew her bow and sent her final arrow into the centre for a 10 and the gold.
By reaching the individual final, Kumkum also secured one of the women’s recurve quota places available for LA 2028. The finalists in the men’s and women’s individual recurve events at the Asian Games earn one quota place for their respective countries, although the final selection of athletes rests with their National Olympic Committees.
India ended the Asian Games with medals in all five recurve events — two golds, two silvers and a bronze — their best-ever campaign in the discipline.
Dhiraj and Neeraj Chauhan missed out on the men’s individual quota places after losing their respective semi-finals. Dhiraj, the world No. 1 who topped the qualification round, went down 7-3 to South Korea’s Lee Wooseok, while Neeraj lost 7-1 to Japan’s Junya Nakanishi.
Neeraj later beat Dhiraj in the bronze-medal contest, holding his nerve in the fifth set to win 6-4.
For Kumkum, the breakthrough has come barely a year after making her India debut. She arrived in Japan somewhat under the radar after finishing 10th in qualification but quickly changed that with her performances in the team event.
Recurve archery has long been dominated by South Korea at the Asian Games, but Kumkum’s three-medal haul, including two golds, has given India a new landmark in the discipline.UNI TB AAB
Tags: #Asian Games: Archer Kumkum caps three-medal campaign with historic recurve gold# secures LA quota
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