Four perfect arrows seal historic gold for 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod

Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod has won two gold medals and a silver at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, including India’s first-ever women’s individual recurve archery medal.

Her individual gold came with a precise response to pressure. Trailing South Korea’s Oh Yejin with one set remaining, Kumkum scored the maximum 10 points with each of her next three arrows to force a single-arrow tiebreak. Oh scored eight; Kumkum answered with another 10 to win the title.

The victory followed India’s first women’s recurve team gold, which she won alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma against South Korea. She also earned mixed team silver with Dhiraj Bommadevara, finishing with a medal in all three events she contested.

Kumkum began archery in Amravati, Maharashtra, in 2018 with a basic wooden bow bought using 3,000 rupees from her grandmother. Her father made cardboard boxes for sweet shops and bakeries and took her to competitions by motorcycle to save on travel costs. Earlier in 2026, she was still competing with a second-hand bow she had used for five years.

Reaching the individual final also secured a place for India in women’s recurve at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. That place belongs to the country, not automatically to Kumkum.