Asian Games: Kumkum Mohod stuns Olympic, world champion Kang Chaeyoung to reach SF
Okazaki, Oct 3 (IANS) Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod produced one of the biggest upsets of the Asian Games 2026 archery competition, stunning South Korea’s reigning world champion and Tokyo Olympic team gold medallist Kang Chaeyoung 6-4 to storm into the women’s recurve individual semifinals on Saturday.
Kang, who topped the ranking round with a score of 630, had entered the quarterfinal as the formidable favourite. She is a Tokyo 2020 Olympic team champion and won the individual world title at the 2025 World Archery Championships.
But Kumkum, who qualified 10th with 611 points, showed remarkable composure against the Korean star.
Kang opened the quarterfinal with a 9, but Kumkum immediately responded with a 10. After the Korean found another 10, the Indian teenager answered with a 9 before closing out the opening set with a 10 to take it 29-28 and draw first blood.
Kang hit back in the second set, winning it 28-27 to level the contest at 2-2. Kumkum, however, regained the advantage in the third set, shooting a 10 followed by two 9s as she edged Kang 28-27 to move 4-2 ahead.
With the match on the line, Kang showed why she is one of the world’s leading recurve archers. The fourth set was locked at 29-29, but Kumkum’s final 10 ensured the set was tied and left her just one set point away from a place in the semifinals.
The teenager then held her nerve brilliantly in the decider.
Kang began with a 10, while Kumkum replied with a 9. Both then shot 9s with their second arrows. Kang needed a 10 with her final arrow to take the set and force the match back, but could manage only a 9.
Kumkum needed a 10 to tie the set — and delivered.
The fifth set finished 28-28, giving Kumkum the two set points she needed to seal a 6-4 victory and eliminate the reigning world champion.
The result adds another chapter to what has already been a breakthrough Asian Games campaign for Kumkum. She was part of India’s historic women’s recurve team gold-winning side alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti, which ended South Korea’s long-standing dominance in the event.
Kumkum will now face China’s Jingyi Zhu in the semifinals. Zhu, the current world championships silver medallist, defeated Chinese Taipei’s Li Tsai-Chi 6-0 (27-26, 30-28, 30-29) in her quarterfinal.
–IANS
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