Despite the addition of legendary coach Sergio Pagni, Korea's compound archery team faced a formidable challenge from defending champion India on September 30. The team was defeated in both the men's and women's mixed team events and will seek redemption in the individual competitions scheduled for October 1.
The women's compound archery team, consisting of Park Jeong-yoon, Park Ye-rin, and Kang Yeon-seo, lost to India 233-234 in the semifinals held at Okazaki Central Park. Following this defeat, they faced Taiwan in the bronze medal match, where they triumphed 229-228, securing the bronze medal. A dramatic finish saw Taiwan's final arrow score only 8 points, allowing Korea to clinch the medal.
The mixed team, featuring Choi Yong-hee and Park Jeong-yoon, also faced India in the finals, which went to a shoot-off. Park scored a near-perfect 10, but Choi's score of 9 resulted in a silver medal for the team.
The men's team, comprising Choi Eun-kyu, Choi Yong-hee, and Kim Jong-ho, lost to India 229-236 in the semifinals, with Kim's repeated errors contributing to the disappointment. They also fell short in the bronze medal match against Taiwan, losing 233-234.
India had previously swept all five gold medals in compound archery at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, leading to Korea finishing second in the overall archery standings when combining both compound and recurve events. Compound archery involves using a bow equipped with mechanical devices to aim at targets from a distance of 50 meters, while Korea excels in recurve archery, which is shot from 70 meters without mechanical aids. Additionally, the scoring system differs, with compound archery determining winners by cumulative points and recurve using a set system.
In April, the Korean team appointed Pagni, a former world number one, to enhance their skills in compound archery. Pagni previously led India to success at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The importance of compound archery is increasing, especially with its inclusion as an official event in the upcoming LA Olympics, where one gold medal is at stake in the mixed team event.
Looking ahead, the Korean team is focused on the individual events, with Choi Yong-hee and Kim Jong-ho in the men's category and Park Jeong-yoon and Kang Yeon-seo in the women's category having advanced to the quarterfinals. The two categories are positioned on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning they can only meet in the finals. As Indian archers are considered strong competitors, the Korean team aims to secure gold medals in the individual events to overcome the disappointment of not winning any golds in the previous competition.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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