At just 17, Kumkum Mohod emerged as the standout archer as India beat South Korea 5-3 to win the women’s recurve team gold medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Thursday.
Kumkum, alongside Ankita Bhagat and Kirti Sharma, helped India end South Korea’s 44-year dominance in the women’s recurve team event and win their first-ever gold medal in the category at the Asian Games.
South Korea entered the final as the favourites, with the reigning world champions fielding World No. 3 Kang Chaeyoung alongside Lee and Yejin Oh. India, meanwhile, had never reached the final of the women’s recurve team event at the Asian Games.
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The Indian trio, however, 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 NERVE UNDER PRESSURE
Kumkum’s shooting was particularly important during the key moments of the final. In the opening set, South Korea had taken the lead and India needed a 10 from Kumkum to stay in contention. She responded with an X, hitting the centre of the target.
In the second set, India again needed a 10 to level the scores and Kumkum produced another 10.
The first two sets ended level, with both teams shooting 54 and 56 respectively to make it 2-2.
South Korea then struggled in the third set, hitting four 8s across their six arrows. India took advantage, posting 55 to move ahead.
The fourth set was closely contested again. South Korea finished with 54, leaving India needing to match that score to secure the gold medal. Kirti initially registered an 8, but the score was upgraded to 9 following a review.
India reached 54, tying the set and securing 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 take the gold.
The victory came after India had defeated China 5-1 in the semi-final. The Indian trio remained composed through the match, with Kirti producing crucial 10s with her final arrows in the opening two sets.
The result is a significant breakthrough for India’s women’s recurve team. Ankita was part of the Indian team that won bronze in the event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where India did not make it to the final.
Kumkum, meanwhile, has been competing in recurve for only around three years.
WHO IS KUMKUM MOHOD?
Kumkum, from Maharashtra, began her sporting journey in archery in 2018 after her mother, Rupali, encouraged her to take up the sport after seeing a relative’s daughter train at the Radhey Archery Academy in Amravati.
Her first bow was a wooden one bought for Rs 3,000 with money given to her by her grandmother. Within six months, she had 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 travelling to training became difficult, he began taking her to the academy on his motorcycle.
Kumkum started her recurve career using a traditional bamboo bow and has continued to make progress despite limited resources. She is still using a five-year-old second-hand bow.
Her breakthrough came in 2026. She helped India win women’s team gold at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai and later combined with Dhiraj Bommadevara to win mixed-team gold at Stage 3 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 competition environment. The APL uses a 15-second timer for each shot, requiring archers to make decisions and execute their shots under greater time pressure.
That experience has been useful in her development, particularly as she has moved into senior international competition at a young age.
Kumkum will now return to the Archery Premier League for its 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 provides an important breakthrough after years of South Korean dominance in the event. The Indian team will now turn its attention to the remaining recurve events in Nagoya.
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