South Korea’s elite recurve archers delivered standout performances at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, securing key victories as qualifiers for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Men’s Recurve Team Dominates for Gold
The top-seeded Korean trio of Kim Je-deok (Yecheon County Office), Kim Woo-jin (Cheongju City Office), and Lee Woo-seok (Kolon Sport) crushed Turkey 6-0 in the men’s team final on October 10. This triumph marks their first World Cup gold as the No. 1 seed since earning silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team advanced despite a challenging 1-3 finish in national trials, highlighting their resilience in this adjusted selection era post-Asian Games.
Kang Chae-young Claims Women’s Individual Gold
In women’s recurve individual, Kang Chae-young powered to gold, defeating China’s top archer Ju Jeong 6-2 in the final. Jang Min-hui (Incheon City Office) added bronze, edging out India’s Simranjit Kaur 6-4 in the third-place match.
Women’s Team Earns Bronze, Mixed Silver
The women’s recurve team of Kang Chae-young, Lee Yun-ji (Hyundai Mobis), and Oh Ye-jin (Gwangju Bank) fell 1-5 to India in the semifinals but rebounded with a 6-0 shutout over Spain to claim bronze. Kim Woo-jin and Oh Ye-jin reached the mixed team final, only to lose 3-5 to China for silver.
Men’s Individual Challenges and Compound Outlook
Korean men struggled in individual recurve, with all exiting in the round of 16. Kim Je-deok lost 4-6 to China’s Li Mingchi, Kim Woo-jin fell 5-6 to Turkey’s Mete Gazoz, and Seo Min-gi dropped a tight 5-6 decision to Turkey’s Berkim Tumer.
No medals came in compound events, which serve as qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, including from Asian competitions.
