Asian Games: At 17, Kumkum Mohod is the new star of Indian archery

At just 17, Kumkum Mohod emerged as a standout archer as India beat South Korea 5-3 to win the women’s team recurve gold medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Thursday.

Kumkum, along with Ankita Bhagat and Kirti Sharma, helped India end South Korea’s 44-year dominance in the women’s team recurve event and win its first-ever gold medal in the category at the Asian Games. Courtesy: Reuters

South Korea entered the final as favourites, with reigning world champions seeded world No.3 Kang Chaeyoung along with Lee and Yejin Oh. India, meanwhile, have never made it to the finals of the women’s team event at the Asian Games.

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However, the Indian trio stayed level with South Korea through the opening two sets before taking control in the third and holding their nerve in the fourth.

KUMKUM HOLDS THE NERVE UNDER PRESSURE

Kumkum’s shooting was especially important in key moments of the final. In the opening set, South Korea took the lead and India needed 10 from Kumkum to stay in contention. She answered X and hit the center of the target.

In the second set, India again needed 10 to level the scores and Kumkum produced another 10.

The first two sets ended evenly, with both teams shooting 54 and 56 to make it 2-2.

South Korea then struggled in the third set, hitting four eights over its six arrows. India took advantage and posted 55 to move ahead.

The fourth set was even again. South Korea finished with 54, so India need to match that score to secure the gold medal. Kirti initially registered 8 but the score was raised to 9 after review.

India scored 54 to level the set and secure the gold medal.

Kumkum finished the final with scores of 10, X, 10, 10, 9, 10, 9 and 10 across her eight arrows. Her final arrow was another 10 after India needed to match South Korea’s score to claim the gold.

The win came after India defeated China 5-1 in the semi-finals. India’s top three remained level throughout the match, with Kirti producing decisive 10s with her final arrows in the opening two sets.

The result is a major breakthrough for the Indian women’s recurve team. Ankita was part of the Indian team that won bronze at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where India failed to reach the final.

Kumkum, meanwhile, has only been competing in recurve for about three years.

WHO IS KUMKUM MOHOD?

Kumkum from Maharashtra started her sporting journey in archery in 2018 after her mother Rupali encouraged her to take up the sport after seeing a relative’s daughter training at the Radhey Archery Academy in Amravati.

Her first bow was a wooden one bought for Rs 3000 with money given to her by her grandmother. Within six months, she won a silver medal at the sub-junior nationals.

Her father, Anil Mohod, makes cardboard boxes for sweet shops in Amravati, with the family business supporting both their household and Kumkum’s archery. When the cost of traveling to training became difficult, he began taking her to the academy on his motorcycle.

Kumkum began her recurve career using a traditional bamboo bow and continued to progress despite limited resources. He still uses a five-year-old, second-hand bow.

Her breakthrough came in 2026. She helped India win the women’s team gold at the 2nd leg of the Archery World Cup in Shanghai and later combined with Dhiraj Bommadevara to win the mixed team gold at the 3rd leg in Antalya.

She also competed in the inaugural season of the Archery Premier League, an experience that exposed her to international archers and a faster competitive environment. APL uses a 15-second timer for each shot, which requires archers to make decisions and execute their shots under greater time pressure.

These experiences were helpful in her development, especially when she moved up to senior international competition at a young age.

Kumkum will now return to the Archery Premier League for her second season in Hyderabad after her Asian Games campaign, where she has already secured the biggest title of her young career.

For India, the women’s recurve gold also represents an important breakthrough after years of South Korean dominance in the event. The Indian team will now turn their attention to the remaining recurve events in Nagoya.

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