WORLD’S STRONGEST’ KOREAN ARCHERY WIN’S 10 GOLD MEDALS WITH ‘PERFECT AIM’

The ‘world’s strongest’ Korean archers will begin their medal hunt in Hangzhou. The Korean archery team, led by head coach Kim Sung-chun, will begin competition at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on October 1 at the Fuyang Throat Sports Center Archery Range in Hangzhou, China .The team will compete in a ranking round on day one, followed by a full tournament on day two .With a total of 10 gold medals up for grabs in recurve and non-Olympic compound archery, the men’s and women’s team champions will be crowned on days 4-6 and the men’s and women’s individual gold medalists on day 7.Korea’s dominance on the world stage is reflected in the Asian Games. South Korea has won 42 of the 60 gold medals at the Asian Games, more than half of the total. Japan is second with just eight gold medals .Since archery was recognized as an official sport at the 1978 Games in Bangkok, South Korea has been the best performing nation from New Delhi in 1982 to Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, with only one exception. The Korean team’s goal is to ‘sweep’ 10 gold medals this time around. However, with China, Japan, and Chinese Taipei remaining strong, and Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia improving their performance in recent years, it will not be easy to win all the events .This event is even more important as qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is at stake in the recurve individual and team events. The top two athletes in each of the men’s and women’s individual events will qualify for Paris, while the winner of the mixed team event will earn one spot for each gender .The Recurve men’s team won the men’s team title at the last World Championships in Berlin and have already secured all three spots for Paris. However, the women’s team had a disappointing showing at the World Championships, so the Asian Games is their chance to punch their ticket to Paris .The taijiquan archers at Hangzhou Saro could be called the archery Avengers .The men’s recurve team will be led by Kim Woo-jin (Cheongju City Hall), Kim Jeduk (Yecheon County Hall), and Oh Jin-hyuk (Hyundai Steel), who won gold in the men’s team event at Tokyo 2020, and Lee Woo-seok (Kolon), who has been winning medals at home and abroad in recent years. The women’s team is led by Ahn An (Gwangju Women’s University), the first triple Olympic champion in history, and includes Kang Chae-young (Hyundai Mobis), who recently won the 2023 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, veteran Choi Mi-seon (Gwangju Bank), and Shingung Im-hyun (Korea Gymnastics), who has quickly become the national team’s ace after making her international debut this year .The compound team will be led by Kim Jong-ho and Choi Yong-hee (Hyundai Steel), who won gold in the men’s and women’s team events at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, and So Chae-won and Song Yun-soo (Hyundai Mobis), who will be looking to win back-to-back titles .They will be joined by next-generation ace Yang Jae-won (Commerce) and fellow countryman Joo Jae-hoon (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power) in the men’s competition, and Oh Yoo-hyun (Jeonbuk Provincial Office) and Cho Soo-ah (Hyundai Mobis), who have been performing at the highest level on the international stage this season, in the women’s competition .In an effort to increase the international competitiveness of the compound, the Korean Archery Federation appointed American Rio Wild, a former world No. 1 and current top-level coach, to lead the compound team .The team arrived in Hangzhou on Nov. 27 and has been undergoing acclimatization training and official practice since Nov. 28.”The Asian Games is the most important competition of the year,” said Kim. We had some mistakes at the 스포츠토토존 World Championships, but this time we will show a stronger archery team,” said Kim.