Arrows that rewrote history: How Ankita, Kirti and Kumkum gave their fathers’ faith a golden finish at the Asian Games
Asian Games 2026 – Archery – Recurve Women’s Team – Gold Medal – South Korea vs. India – Okazaki Central Park Multipurpose Square, Okazaki, Japan – October 2, 2026. India’s Ankita Bhakat in action NEW DELHI: A father used to sell cardboard boxes of chocolates in a small shop in Amravati. Another woke up at 4 a.m. to deliver milk door-to-door in Kolkata. The third cultivated his small agricultural land in Jindu. All three parents supported their daughters’ sporting dreams, resisting doubts and social pressures.On Friday, at the multipurpose square of Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park, the daughters repaid that faith with a priceless gift. Seasoned Ankita Bhakat, unheralded Kirti Sharma and 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod did what India had never done before – beat 10-time Olympic champions South Korea 5-3 to claim their first ever Asian Games gold in women’s team archery.The significance was enormous. Korea has won every women’s team recurve title since 1998 and arrives with Tokyo Olympic champion Kang Chae-young, along with Oh Ye-jin and Lee Yunji. India, who had never even reached the finals of the Asian Games in this tournament, first defeated China 5-1 in the semi-finals.The final required nerves of steel. The two sides tied the opening two sets, 54-54 and 56-56, before Korea faltered with three consecutive 8s in the third. India scored 55 to take a 4-2 lead. Korea replied with 54 in the fourth over, but Kirti’s opening 8 was raised to 9 on review, lifting India to 54 and sealing the tie – and the gold.“We cannot describe our feelings in words. This medal is not only for us but also for our parents, their sacrifices and our country,” said Kirti. Ankita, who endured years of hardship before becoming a veteran of the recurring circuit, said the team had trained for such pressure.’ Summing up her amazing calm, Kumkum said, “I’ve always imagined it and now it’s happened. It’s part of the process.”Very different matches were behind the triumph. Kumkum started 2018 with a bamboo bow; her grandmother financed a Rs 3,000 wooden upgrade, while her father later got her a second-hand recurve bow that she used for years.
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Share an opinionKirti’s farming family borrowed Rs 60,000 for her first recurve bow, even as relatives questioned the expenditure on the daughter’s sports career. Initially considered too thin to handle a professional bow, she later dominated the national exams.Ankita spent six years shooting wooden and bamboo bows before getting the right equipment for backswing, with left-handed equipment being particularly difficult to find. She later started using the prize money won during competitions to support her father’s meager income and family.The day brought India another silver medal in archery. Kumkum later teamed up with Dhiraj Bommadevara but the duo lost 3-5 to China in the mixed recurve final after defeating Japan 5-3 in the semi-finals. Dhiraj, Yashdeep Bhoge and Neeraj Chauhan then lost the men’s recurve final 1-5 to Korea after thrashing Iran 6-0 in the last four to settle for second place.For Kumkum, the competition is not over: on Saturday, they will next turn to individuals. For India, however, the golden arrow has already landed — in history.