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President Droupadi Murmu congratulates Kumkum Mohod and Pranavi Urs over India’s historic gold-medal charge at the Asian Games. (Img: X)
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday congratulated archer Kumkum Anil Mohod and golfer Pranavi Sharath Urs on winning gold medals at the final day of Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
In separate posts on X, Murmu praised Kumkum for scripting history as the first Indian to win the Gold Medal in the Recurve Women’s Individual event at the Asian Games 2026.
"You had an exceptional campaign at the Games, with two more medals in team events. The Asian Games venue resonated with our National Anthem after your gold medal winning performance. You have made a major contribution to the superlative success of India’s women archers at this edition of Asian Games. Your performance and achievements will inspire countless youth, especially our girls to excel in their pursuits. May you continue to hit the mark with your characteristic precision," the President noted.
In a separate tweet, Murmu congratulated Pranavi Sharath Urs on winning the Gold Medal in the Women’s Individual Stroke Play at the Asian Games 2026 and becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Golf Gold at the Asian Games.
"From the opening tee to the final putt, you held your ground and claimed your place in the history of Indian golf. Your Gold gives Indian women’s golf a milestone to build upon. My best wishes to you for many more accomplishments," she tweeted.
India began the final day of the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on a high, with Kumkum Mohod and Pranavi Sharath Urs delivering landmark gold-medal performances in archery and golf.
Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod produced a dramatic finish in the women’s individual recurve archery final, overcoming South Korea’s Oh Yejin in a shoot-off after the contest ended level at 5-5. Kumkum held her nerve when it mattered most, shooting a perfect 10 in the decisive shoot-off, while Oh managed an 8. The victory handed India a historic individual recurve gold and also secured an Olympic quota place for the country for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The triumph added another chapter to Kumkum’s impressive campaign in Japan. She had earlier been part of India’s gold-winning women’s recurve team alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma and had also claimed silver in the mixed recurve event with Dhiraj Bommadevara. Her individual gold therefore became her third medal of the Games.
Kumkum had negotiated a demanding knockout route before reaching the final. She defeated reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung of South Korea 6-4 in the quarterfinal before overcoming China’s Jingyi Zhu 6-2 in the semifinal. The semifinal victory itself guaranteed her at least a silver and ensured an Olympic quota for India.
India’s golden run continued on the golf course as Pranavi Sharath Urs emerged victorious in the women’s individual event, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual golf gold at the Asian Games.
Pranavi entered the final round with a three-shot advantage after producing three successive sub-par rounds. She had accumulated 15-under-par 195 after 54 holes, establishing herself at the top of a tightly contested leaderboard.
Her performance marks a significant milestone for Indian women’s golf at the continental level. The individual triumph also came as India’s women’s golf team remained in contention for a team medal, with Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar contributing alongside Pranavi.
The two gold medals have added further momentum to an Indian campaign that had already reached 76 medals by the end of the previous day 16 gold, 25 silver and 35 bronze. India entered the concluding day fifth in the overall standings.
There was still plenty at stake for the Indian contingent. The men’s cricket team was scheduled to meet Pakistan in the gold-medal match, while the men’s hockey side was set to face Malaysia in the summit clash. Wrestling and other disciplines also offered further medal opportunities.
With Kumkum’s historic archery triumph and Pranavi’s breakthrough in golf, India has already added two significant gold medals to its final-day haul and will look to carry that momentum into the remaining marquee events of the Games.
