Okazaki, October 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod created history for Indian archery on Saturday, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the individual recurve event after edging South Korea’s Yejin Oh in a tense shoot-off for the gold medal.
The final was tied 5-5 after five sets, forcing the title to be decided by a single arrow. Oh shot an 8 in the shoot-off before Kumkum held her nerve and struck a 10 to clinch the gold.
The victory also secured an individual quota place for India at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Kumkum and Oh both earned one individual quota place for their respective countries.
Kumkum had to overcome an early setback in the final. Oh took the opening set 29-27 to move 2-0 ahead, while the second set ended 29-29, leaving the South Korean with a 3-1 advantage.
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The Indian teenager responded emphatically in the third set, firing three consecutive 10s for a perfect 30. Oh managed 29, allowing Kumkum to close the gap to 3-3.
Oh regained the lead in the fourth set, winning 28-27 to move to 5-3 and put herself within one set of the title.
With her gold-medal hopes under pressure, Kumkum produced another flawless response in the fifth set. She opened with a 10 and followed it with two more 10s to register another perfect 30. Oh could only manage 28, forcing the match into a shoot-off.
Kumkum then delivered when it mattered most, finding the 10-ring with her decisive arrow after Oh had scored an 8.
Her gold capped a remarkable campaign in Okazaki. Kumkum had entered the individual event after finishing 10th in the ranking round and then defeated South Korea’s reigning world champion and Olympic team gold medallist Kang Chaeyoung in the quarterfinals.
She followed that with a 6-2 semifinal victory over China’s Jingyi Zhu, the silver medallist at the 2025 World Championships, becoming the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games individual recurve final.
Kumkum has now gone a step further by becoming the first Indian woman to win the Asian Games individual recurve title.
China’s Yuwei Huang took the bronze medal after defeating compatriot Jingyi Zhu 6-4 in the bronze-medal match.
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