Kumkum Mohod won the Asian Games gold to secure India’s 2028 Olympic quota

Teenager Kumkum Mohod held off the pressure to win the women’s individual event gold at the Asian Games, defeating South Korea’s Oh Yejin in a shoot-out here on Saturday.With the win, Kumkum became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Asian Games in the individual recurse.Asian Games full coverage | Schedule | Medal totalAfter the scores were tied at 5-5, Kumkum held her nerve in the shootout and shot 10 while Oh managed 8 to hand the Indian the gold medal.The win capped off a remarkable campaign for Kumkum, who had already secured an Olympic berth for India by reaching the semi-finals. She defeated China’s Jingyi Zhu 6-2 to book her place in the final and secure at least a silver medal.Kumkum secured one of the two available quota spots for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. According to the rules, the quota belongs to the country.Against Zhu, Kumkum won the opening set 28-27 after shooting 9, 10 and 9. The second set was shared after both archers shot three-tenths, while the third set was also tied, giving Kumkum a 4-2 lead.She then overcame Zhu by a point in the final set to seal a 6-2 victory with scores of 28-27, 30-30, 29-29 and 29-28.Earlier in the day, Kumkum beat reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung 6-4 in the quarterfinals.The individual gold was her third medal at the Asian Games. Kumkum had earlier won the women’s team recurve gold along with Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma before teaming up with Dhiraj Bommadevara to win the mixed pair silver on Friday.Kumkum’s gold also marked a watershed moment for Indian archery, making her the first Indian woman to win a medal in an individual event at the Asian Games.