Teenager Kumkum Mohod kept her composure under pressure to clinch gold in the women’s individual recurve event at the Asian Games, defeating South Korea’s Oh Yejin in a shoot-out here on Saturday.With the victory, Kumkum became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the individual recurve event.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal TallyAfter the scores were tied at 5-5, Kumkum held her nerve in the shoot-out, shooting a 10 while Oh managed an 8 to hand the Indian the gold medal.The victory capped a remarkable campaign for Kumkum, who had already secured an Olympic quota place for India by reaching the semifinals. She defeated China’s Jingyi Zhu 6-2 to book her place in the final and assure herself of at least a silver medal.Kumkum secured one of the two available quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. As per 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 10s, while the third set was also tied, leaving Kumkum with a 4-2 lead.She then edged Zhu by a point in the final set to seal a 6-2 victory, with the scores reading 28-27, 30-30, 29-29 and 29-28.Earlier in the day, Kumkum defeated reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung 6-4 in the quarterfinal.The individual gold was her third medal at the Asian Games. Kumkum had earlier won the women’s team recurve gold alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma, before combining with Dhiraj Bommadevara to claim mixed pair silver on Friday.Kumkum’s gold also marked a landmark moment for Indian recurve archery, making her the first Indian woman to win a medal in the individual event at the Asian Games.
