New Delhi: Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman golfer to win a gold medal at the , while teenager Kumkum Mohod held her nerve under pressure to claim gold in the women’s individual recurve archery event after defeating South Korea’s Oh Yejin in a shoot-off on Saturday, October 3.
Kumkum also became the first Indian woman to secure an Asian Games medal in the individual recurve event. The scores were tied at 5-5, but she kept her composure in the shoot-out, scoring a 10 while her opponent managed an 8 to hand the Indian the gold medal.
Her gold medal capped off a remarkable campaign, with the teenager securing an Olympic quota for her country by reaching the semifinals. She beat China’s Jingyi Zhu 6-2 to book her place in the final and secure at least a silver medal. Kumkum secured one of the two available quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Under the rules, the quota place is awarded to the country, not the individual athlete.
Against Zhu, Kumkum took the first set 28-27 after shooting 9, 10 and 9. The second set ended level at 30-30 after both archers shot three 10s, while the third set was also tied, giving Kumkum a 4-2 lead. She then held her nerve in the final set, edging Zhu 29-28 to complete a 6-2 victory.
Earlier in the day, Kumkum beat reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung 6-4 in the quarterfinal. The individual gold was her third medal at the continental event. Kumkum had earlier clinched the women’s team recurve gold alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma, before combining with Dhiraj Bommadevara to secure mixed pair silver on Friday.
Pranavi becomes first Indian woman golfer to secure gold at Asian Games 2026
Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman golfer to secure a gold medal in the Asian Games. She managed to hold on to a slender one-stroke lead in the final round to achieve the historic milestone that also helped the country to win a team silver medal.
The 23-year-old made a comeback from a costly triple bogey on the third hole, which erased her three-stroke overnight lead, by carding three birdies. She ended the final round with an even-par 70, to post a total of 15-under 265 for four days, finishing one stroke ahead of the pack.
Her performance also played a key role in India securing the team silver, alongside Aditi Ashok, who carded a 67 in the final round, and Diksha Dagar, who shot 77. For the team event, the two best scores are counted in each round, with India finishing at 14-under 546, well behind gold medallists China, who posted 22-under 538. Pranavi’s triumph also ended India’s wait for an individual Asian Games golf gold since Shiv Kapur’s victory in the men’s event in 2002.