Korea's Kang Chae-young (Hyundai Mobis) and Kim Je-deok (Yecheon County) have advanced to the semifinals of the recurve mixed team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
On September 27, at the Okazaki Central Multipurpose Park in Aichi, Japan, the duo defeated Mongolia 5-3 in set points (39-39, 37-38, 39-36, 39-36) during the quarterfinals. They showcased their focus by hitting the center 'X10' six times out of 16 arrows.
The match started off tightly contested. Korea scored 39 points in the first set, but Mongolia matched that score, resulting in a split of the set points. In the second set, Korea managed only 37 points while Mongolia shot 38, putting Korea behind with a set score of 1-3.
However, Kang and Kim remained composed. They raised their accuracy in the third set, winning 39-36 to level the set score at 3-3. In the final fourth set, they again scored 39 points, outpacing Mongolia, which scored 36, to secure the victory.
In the earlier round of 16, they achieved a commanding 6-0 victory over Qatar (39-34, 35-28, 39-34). Entering the tournament as the top seed from the ranking round, they are now just one match away from a medal.
Kang and Kim displayed excellent form starting from the ranking round. Kang scored 685 points in the women's recurve, setting a new tournament record and finishing first overall, while Kim scored 693 points in the men's division, placing second. Their combined score of 1378 points in the mixed team event also set a new Asian Games record.
Korea previously won the gold medal in the recurve mixed team event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with the duo of Lee Woo-seok and Lim Si-hyun. If Kang and Kim win this time, it will mark Korea's second consecutive title in this event.
Their ambitions do not end with the mixed team event. Both athletes will also compete in individual events and the men's and women's team events, aiming for a total of three gold medals. Korean archery has started strong in this tournament, securing the top seed in both the men's and women's team events as well as the mixed team event.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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