Archer Kumkum Anil Mohod and wrestler Sujeet Kalkal have been named the first-ever recipients of the Jaspal Rana Award and the Raja Randhir Singh Award respectively by the Indian Olympic Association, in recognition of their performances at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The awards have been instituted by the IOA to honour the best female and male sportspersons of the Games, and to commemorate the legacy of two stalwarts of Indian sport who passed away earlier this year.

Kumkum, 17, making her Asian Games debut, claimed three medals, including two gold, and was central to ending South Korea’s long-standing dominance in women’s recurve archery. Alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti, she won the women’s recurve team gold, snapping South Korea’s run of seven consecutive Asian Games titles dating back to the 1998 Bangkok Games.

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Kumkum then followed it up with gold in the individual event, ensuring South Korea’s women failed to win a recurve gold at the Asian Games for the first time in the discipline’s history. Her individual gold also secured a quota place for India at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Sujeet, 23, was named the inaugural recipient of the Raja Randhir Singh Award after winning gold in the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling category. He produced one of the most dramatic performances of the Games, defeating reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan in the semifinal before staging a remarkable comeback in the gold-medal bout against Abdulmazhid Kudiyev, trailing 2-9 with time running out before fighting back to secure a 10-9 victory.

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Sujeet also continued India’s strong tradition in the 65kg category, following Olympic medallists Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia, who won gold in the same weight class at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games respectively.

The IOA will felicitate Kumkum and Sujeet at a ceremony in the coming days. India finished fourth in the Asian Games medal standings with 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals.

(With PTI inputs)