The gold-medal match was a roller-coaster contest, with Kumkum repeatedly forced to fight back after falling behind. Oh Yejin made the stronger start, winning the opening set 29-27 to take an early 2-0 lead in the match.
The second set provided little separation between the two archers. Both scored 29, resulting in a 29-29 draw and one set point apiece. Kumkum therefore entered the third set trailing 1-3.
That was when the Indian teenager produced one of the defining moments of the final. She fired three consecutive perfect 10s to win the third set and bring the match level at 3-3. However, Oh Yejin regained the advantage in the fourth set after Kumkum shot an 8, leaving the Indian archer one set point away from defeat at 3-5.
Kumkum refused to let the deficit decide the contest. She held her nerve in the fifth set and fought back to make it 5-5, sending the final into a shoot-off to determine the Asian Games champion.
The decisive moment belonged to Kumkum. Oh Yejin shot an 8 with her shoot-off arrow, but the Indian teenager responded with a perfect 10. That flawless final shot secured the gold medal and completed an extraordinary comeback.
The triumph is significant for several reasons. It is Kumkum’s second gold medal of the Asian Games campaign and India’s first gold medal in the women’s individual recurve event. It also takes India’s tally of archery gold medals this year to five.
Kumkum’s path to the final had already established her as one of the standout performers of India’s archery campaign. In the quarterfinal, she stunned South Korea’s reigning world champion and former Olympic champion Kang Chaeyoung with a 6-3 victory. She followed that performance by defeating China’s Zhu Jingyi 6-2 in the semifinal to secure her place in the gold-medal match.
Her Asian Games campaign comes after she had already secured her place for the LA 2028 Olympics. At just 17, Kumkum has now added an Asian Games individual gold medal to that achievement, completing a memorable day for Indian archery. India’s Kumkum Mohod produced a remarkable comeback to win the women’s individual recurve gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 on October 3. The 17-year-old defeated South Korea’s Oh Yejin in a dramatic shoot-off to secure a historic victory and add another gold to India’s archery campaign.
Kumkum’s final began with Oh Yejin taking the opening set 29-27, leaving the Indian teenager trailing early in the contest. The second set ended in a 29-29 draw, with both archers earning one set point, putting Kumkum 1-3 behind.
The Indian youngster responded brilliantly in the third set, firing three perfect 10s to win it and level the match at 3-3. She then slipped behind again after shooting an 8 in the fourth set, allowing Oh Yejin to move 5-3 ahead.
With the gold medal seemingly within reach for the South Korean archer, Kumkum showed composure under pressure. She fought back to level the contest at 5-5, forcing a decisive shoot-off.
The Indian teenager then delivered when it mattered most. Oh Yejin managed an 8 with her shoot-off arrow, while Kumkum produced a perfect 10 to seal the Asian Games title.
The victory marks Kumkum’s second gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games campaign and India’s first-ever gold in the women’s individual recurve event. It is also India’s fifth gold medal in archery this year.
Kumkum had earlier reached the final after defeating China’s Zhu Jingyi 6-2 in the semifinal. Her run had already included a stunning 6-3 quarterfinal victory over South Korea’s reigning world champion and former Olympic champion Kang Chaeyoung.
The teenager, who has also secured her place at the LA 2028 Olympics, has now capped an extraordinary Asian Games campaign with a landmark individual gold.
