India, May 13 -- Kumkum Mohod returned from her third international senior competition to her hometown Amravati on Monday night. Her coach asked if she could report to the training ground the next day at 3:30 p.m.

The 17-year-old recurve archer, crowned a World Cup gold medallist in Shanghai on Sunday, arrived at 3:20 p.m.

"You see," said her coach Prafull Dange, "that's the kind of dedication she has."

That dedication, and an unrelenting "bhook (hunger)" that Dange singles out as her standout quality, has driven the teen's rise as the latest rookie recurve archer from the country to make a mark on the international stage.

Kumkum did so by topping the domestic trials in January to earn her maiden World Cup ticket. And then, alongside ...