Kumkum, Sujeet named first winners of Jaspal Rana, Raja Randhir Singh awards
Kumkum Mohod and Sujeet Kalkal have been rewarded for their standout campaigns at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the Indian Olympic Association naming them the inaugural recipients of its awards for the best female and male athletes of the Games.
Mohod, 17, has received the Jaspal Rana Award after a memorable debut at the continental Games, while Kalkal, 23, has been named the first recipient of the Raja Randhir Singh Award after winning the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling gold.
The IOA has instituted the two awards to honour outstanding performances at the Asian Games and commemorate the legacy of Jaspal Rana and Raja Randhir Singh, two stalwarts of Indian sport who died earlier this year.
Mohod was one of the breakout stars of India’s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya. She returned with three medals, including gold in the women’s recurve team and individual events.
Her biggest contribution came in helping India break South Korea’s dominance in women’s recurve archery. Alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti, she ended South Korea’s run of seven consecutive Asian Games team titles dating back to the 1998 Bangkok Games.
Mohod then added the individual gold, with South Korea missing out on the women’s recurve title at the Asian Games for the first time in the discipline’s history. The result also secured India a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
IOA president PT Usha said Mohod’s temperament under pressure made her a fitting first recipient of the award named after Rana, who emerged as a teenage star at the 1994 Asian Games.
“It is fitting that Kumkum is the first recipient of the Jaspal Rana Award, as Jaspal too burst onto the scene as a prodigy at the 1994 Asian Games,” Usha said.
“Her composure under pressure and her ability to find her best form when her back was to the wall augur extremely well for Indian archery.”
Usha also said India’s archers had been pushing for an Olympic breakthrough for more than a decade and backed the team to finally cross that barrier at Los Angeles in 2028.
Kalkal’s award comes after one of the most dramatic wrestling performances of the Games. He first defeated reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan in the semi-final before recovering from a 2-9 deficit against Abdulmazhid Kudiyev in the final.
With time running out, Kalkal produced a late fightback to win 10-9 and secure the gold medal.
His victory continued India’s run of success in the 65kg category at the Asian Games, following gold medals for Yogeshwar Dutt in 2014 and Bajrang Punia in 2018.
Usha praised Kalkal’s fighting spirit and said his refusal to settle for silver was as important as the result itself.
“Wrestling is India’s sport, and Sujeet’s performance will be spoken of for years to come. The gold medal will be celebrated, but his never-say-die attitude and refusal to accept silver have earned him a special place in the hearts of all Indians,” she said.
The IOA president also backed Kalkal to target a historic Olympic gold at Los Angeles.
“I wish Sujeet all success in the years ahead and will be rooting for him to deliver India’s first-ever wrestling gold medal at the Olympic Games in two years’ time,” Usha said.
The IOA will felicitate Mohod and Kalkal 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.
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