Kumkum Mohod and Sujeet Kalkal named inaugural recipients of IOA's Jaspal Rana and Raja Randhir Singh awards
On October 4, 2026, the Indian Olympic Association announced that Kumkum Mohod and Sujeet Kalkal were the inaugural winners of its awards for the best female and male athletes at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Kumkum Mohod, 17, received the Jaspal Rana Award and Sujeet Kalkal, 23, was named the first recipient of the Raja Randhir Singh Award after standout campaigns at the continental Games; the IOA created the two awards to recognise exceptional performances and to commemorate the legacy of Jaspal Rana and Raja Randhir Singh, who died earlier this year.
Mohod returned from Aichi-Nagoya with three medals, including gold in the women's recurve team and the individual event, and played a central role in ending South Korea's hold on women's recurve team archery. Alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti, she halted a run of seven consecutive Asian Games team titles for South Korea that dated back to the 1998 Bangkok Games, while South Korea also missed out on the women's recurve individual title for the first time in the discipline's Asian Games history; the result secured India a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
IOA president PT Usha praised Mohod's temperament in a statement: "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 followed a dramatic run in the men's 65kg freestyle wrestling, where he beat reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan in the semi-final and recovered from a 2-9 deficit in the final to defeat Abdulmazhid Kudiyev 10-9 with a late fightback to claim gold. The victory continued India's recent success in the 65kg category at the Asian Games after golds for Yogeshwar Dutt in 2014 and Bajrang Punia in 2018.
Usha commented on Kalkal's performance and potential in two statements: "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. "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 said it 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.