Kumkum Mohod added an individual gold medal to her team title after beating two Korean archers and a Chinese rival in a dominant run to the final.
When Kumkum Mohod picked up a wooden bow in 2018, South Korea had already spent two decades dominating women’s recurve archery.
On Saturday, at her first Asian Games, the 17-year-old ended that dominance on the individual stage. She beat two Korean archers and a Chinese rival on her way to the gold medal, becoming the first Indian recurve archer to win an individual Asian Games gold.
“I had visualized this,” Mohod said. “I had visualized my match against Kang… And before the shoot-off, I had visualized shooting an X, dead center of the target, and that is exactly what happened.”
Her run to the title began with a 6-4 quarterfinal victory over South Korean world champion Kang Chae-young, one of the archers Mohod had grown up admiring.
She then defeated China’s 2025 World Championships silver medallist Zhu Jingyi 6-2 in the semifinals.
The final against South Korea’s Oh Ye-jin proved even more dramatic.
Oh took the opening set 29-27 after Mohod finished with an eight. The Korean then moved 3-1 ahead after the second set was shared.
Mohod responded with a perfect 30 in the third, but another eight in the fourth left her trailing 3-5 and one set away from defeat.
“When I hit an 8,” Mohod explained, “I told myself to reset. My focus was drifting toward the arrow, so I reminded myself to focus on my shooting form instead of the result.”
She returned to the line and shot another perfect 30, forcing a single-arrow shoot-off.
Oh, shot an eight.
Mohod shot a 10.
In the stands, Indian recurve archer Yashdeep Bhoge, who had won a team silver the previous day, could only sum it up in one word: “Ghatak.”
A teenager who stays in her own zone
Mohod’s ability to block out the reputation of her opponents has been central to her performance.
“I stay focused on my own process,” she said. “You are aware of who you are shooting against, but while shooting, I stay in my own zone and focus on my key points.”
That composure sits alongside the ordinary interests of a 17-year-old.
Mohod enjoys drawing and arts and crafts. She watches Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, likes sad songs and loves butterscotch ice cream.
She has not had ice cream since arriving at the Asian Games camp on September 11. She had decided to stay disciplined while pursuing her goal.
Her journey in archery began when she was just nine.
“I didn’t think much back then,” she said. “I just aimed at the target, tried to score, and chased points.”
The ambition grew as her scores improved.
“As I kept doing it and improving, I started dreaming bigger.”
From admiring champions to beating them
Kang Chae-young was once one of those champions Mohod looked up to.
The South Korean former Olympic and world champion impressed her with the precision of her release and movement.
In the quarterfinals on Saturday, however, Mohod had no room for admiration. She had a match to win.
She did exactly that.
Her coach, Sonam Tshering, says her speed is one of her biggest strengths. Mohod typically takes only two or three seconds to aim and release, maintaining a quick rhythm throughout the shot.
“If she holds more, the arms will vibrate. Her rhythm and process are very quick,” Tshering said.
That rhythm helped her recover after the crucial eight in the final.
Tshering has also seen the discipline behind the results. Mohod is punctual, consistent in training and focused on the details of her preparation.
“She has a lot of guts. Outside the archery field, she is very shy. But on it, she transforms completely,” he said. “Her results are proof.”
The end of a long Korean streak
South Korea had won the women’s recurve team gold at every Asian Games from 1998 through 2022.
On Friday, India ended that run by winning the team title.
A day later, Mohod defeated another Korean in the individual final.
Her first Asian Games have now produced two gold medals and a silver.
At 17, Kumkum Mohod has already achieved something generations of Indian recurve archers had been chasing.
And she did it one arrow at a time.
Source: The Indian Express
Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
