Kumkum Mohod eyes historic individual recurve gold as Asian Games wrap up

Archery Final

Kumkum Mohod, the 17‑year‑old who helped India win the women’s team recurve gold on Friday, is now battling Korean archer Oh Yejin for the individual title. In the first set Kumkum fell 27‑29, but tied the second set at 29‑29 and clinched the third set 30‑29, leaving the match level at three points each. The Korean pulled ahead in the fourth set, scoring 9 and 8 to move 5‑3 and sit one point from the gold. Kumkum’s earlier wins include a 6‑4 quarter‑final upset of Tokyo Olympic champion Kang Chae‑young and a 6‑2 semi‑final victory over China’s Zhu Jingyi, which also secured a Los Angeles 2028 Olympic quota for India.

Other Indian Events

Later in the day India’s wrestling squad will feature five athletes: Antim Panghal and Manisha Bhanwala in the women’s 53 kg and 57 kg finals, and Paris Olympic bronze‑medallist Aman Sehrawat, Sagar Jaglan and 2022 Asian Games silver‑medallist Deepak Punia in the men’s 74 kg and 97 kg categories. The men’s cricket team faces arch‑rival Pakistan in the gold‑medal match, while the men’s hockey side meets Malaysia to defend its title. Fellow archers Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan will contest the men’s individual recurve later.

Context

The recurve event uses a set system where the first archer to reach six set points wins the match. Reaching the final makes Kumkum the first Indian woman ever to contest an individual recurve final at the Asian Games, and her semi‑final win earned India a quota spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.