Asian Games 2026: Kumkum Anil Mohod wins historic archery gold, secures berth in LA Olympics 2028

Day 14 of the Asian Games 2026 is going on, since the beginning of this important day. The Indian contingents are showcasing an impressive performance, which is helping India to improve their medal tally in the crucial event.

India’s Kumkum Mohod created history by winning the gold medal in the individual recurve event at the Asian Games on Saturday. The 17-year-old became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the individual recurve event.

Kumkum beat South Korea’s Yejin Oh in a close final. The match was tied 5-5 after five sets, forcing a one-arrow shoot-off to decide the winner. Oh scored an 8 with her final arrow, while Kumkum hit a 10 to win the gold medal.

The victory also helped India earn an individual quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Kumkum and Oh both secured one quota place for their countries.

Kumkum had a tough start in the final as Oh won the opening set 29-27 to take a 2-0 lead. The second set ended 29-29, leaving the South Korean ahead 3-1.

Kumkum then made a strong comeback in the third set. She hit three straight 10s to score a perfect 30, while Oh managed 29. This brought the match level at 3-3.

Oh moved ahead again by winning the fourth set 28-27, putting Kumkum under pressure at 5-3. With her opponent just one set away from gold, Kumkum produced another perfect 30 in the fifth set. Oh scored 28, sending the match into a shoot-off.

Kumkum stayed calm in the final one-arrow contest and hit a 10 to complete her comeback and win the gold medal.

Her gold medal came after a strong run in the individual event. Kumkum finished 10th in the ranking round before beating South Korea’s reigning world champion and Olympic team gold medallist Kang Chaeyoung in the quarter-final.

She then defeated China’s Jingyi Zhu 6-2 in the semi-final to become the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games individual recurve final. Kumkum went one step further by winning the title and becoming the first Indian woman to win individual recurve gold at the Asian Games.

China’s Yuwei Huang won the bronze medal after beating her compatriot Jingyi Zhu 6-4 in the bronze-medal match.