Kumkum Mohod wins women’s individual recurve gold at Asian Games, secures Olympic quota

October 3, 2026

Okazaki: Seventeen-year-old Indian archer Kumkum Mohod created history at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on Saturday by winning the women’s individual recurve archery gold medal, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games.

Kumkum defeated South Korea’s Yejin Oh in a shoot-off in the women’s individual recurve final to claim the gold medal and secure an individual quota place for India at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Kumkum wins thrilling recurve final

Kumkum recovered from a 3-5 deficit against Oh in the final to force a shoot-off. The Indian archer then produced a 10, while the South Korean managed an 8, sealing the women’s individual recurve gold medal for India.

Speaking to IANS exclusively after her historic triumph, Kumkum said she was yet to fully process the achievement.

“No, doesn’t feel like it (winning) yet, still hasn’t sunk in!” she said.

Despite becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games, Kumkum said she remained focused on her own process rather than the magnitude of the occasion.

“While playing the matches, I was only focused on myself. I still don’t feel anything after winning the medal,” she said.

Third medal for Kumkum at Asian Games

The individual recurve gold completed a hat-trick of medals for Kumkum at the Asian Games. She had earlier won gold in the women’s recurve team event and silver in the mixed team event.

Her path to the individual title included victories over some of the biggest names in women’s recurve. She defeated reigning Olympic and world champion Kang Chaeyoung in the quarterfinals before overcoming China’s Jingyi Zhu, the 2025 World Championships silver medallist, in the semifinals.

Kumkum said she followed the same strategy throughout the competition, focusing on her technique, breathing and key points.

“I had the same strategy from the beginning. I focused on my key points, the process and my breathing. That’s all I did,” she said.

‘Stay in your zone’, coach told Kumkum

Her coach also advised her to avoid distractions and concentrate only on her own performance.

“He was telling me to stay in my zone. Don’t think about what the opponent is hitting or how they are playing. Don’t even look at them or listen to them. Just focus on yourself. He was reminding me of my key points and reminding me to breathe,” Kumkum said.

When she fell 3-5 behind in the final, Kumkum said she did not change her approach.

“No, I just told myself to stay confident and shoot,” she said.

She credited concentration, meditation, visualisation and reading for helping her maintain her focus under pressure.

“It’s concentration, meditation, visualisation and book reading. I do all these things apart from archery,” she said.

Gold was not the initial target

Kumkum entered the women’s individual recurve competition after finishing 10th in the ranking round, but said she did not set winning the gold as a specific target.

“I didn’t think of it like that. When the individual competition started, I just went for it. I told myself to be confident and see what happens. I didn’t think about the gold medal,” she said.

The teenager said she was also not affected by the reputation or achievements of her high-profile opponents.

“Not at all,” she said when asked whether the credentials of Kang and Zhu had played on her mind.

Individual gold earns Olympic quota

With the individual recurve gold secured, Kumkum also earned an individual quota place for India at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics through her performance in Okazaki.

“I want to focus on the Olympics and the rest of the matches. I want to do my best in every match,” she said.

For now, however, the historic significance of her achievement is still sinking in for the teenager who delivered India’s first women’s individual recurve gold at the Asian Games.