Meet Kumkum Mohod, 17-yr-old Asiad gold medallist

Kumkum Anil Mohod, a 17-year-old archer from Amravati in Maharashtra, has made history by winning a gold medal at the Asian Games. Her story began with a modest wooden bow, purchased for just 3000 rupees with money from her grandmother. Even at the start, her mother Rupali encouraged her to take up archery, and it was her grandmother who funded her first bow.

Kumkum picked up the sport in 2018 and quickly showed promise, winning silver at the sub-junior nationals just six months later. When Covid-19 forced normal training to halt, she and her coach Prafull Dange continued to hone her skills through short-distance shooting drills. Even as she went on to win the recurve team gold at World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, she used second-hand equipment.

Her family made sacrifices to support her career. With her father Anil Manohar Mohod running a cardboard box business, they used his two-wheeler to travel to competitions when funds were tight. Her mother kept her motivated, while her coach remained steadfast in his support. Despite the challenges, Kumkum continued to rise, reaching the Asian Games final where she defeated South Korea's Oh Yejin in a shoot-off, securing her place as the first Indian woman ever to win an individual recurve archery medal.