Korean archers take bronze in women's compound

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Published: 05 Oct. 2023, 13:25 Updated: 02 Jan. 2024, 15:10

Korean archers take bronze in women's compound

The Korean women's compound team took bronze on Wednesday, claiming the national team's third archery medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. [NEWS1]

Korea took bronze in the women’s compound team contest at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Thursday, outshooting Indonesia in the bronze-medal match.

The Korean women’s squad of So Chae-won, Oh Yoo-hyun and Cho Su-a together scored 232 points across four rounds of six shots each, beating Indonesia’s Ratih Zilizati Fadhly, Syahara Khoerunisa and Sri Ranti who ended with 229.

Korea opened the match with a perfect 60 with the three archers shooting two 10-point bullseyes each. Indonesia outscored Korea in the final round, 59-57, but it wasn't enough to knock Korea off the podium.

The Korean women’s compound team earlier lost to Chinese Taipei in the semifinal, losing 230-224 along with their spot in the gold-medal match.

The bronze in women's compound marked Korea’s third archery medal of this year’s Asiad. Korea took gold in the mixed recurve and silver in the mixed compound team contests on Wednesday.

Korea has been an archery powerhouse for decades, dominating both the Asian Games and Olympics since the 1980s. At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where only recurve events were held, Korea won four of the five available gold medals.

The Asian Games includes compound archery, a modern iteration of the sport using more high-tech bows that require less physical strength to draw. Korea is strong in both disciplines, winning two gold medals in each one at the 2018 Asian Games.

Korea’s performance at the last Asiad paled in comparison to the Tokyo Olympics. While Kim Woo-jin won the men’s individual recurve event and the women’s team of Chang Hye-jin, Kang Chae-young and Lee Eun-gyeong took the team gold, Korea took silver in the men’s team, bronze in the women’s individual and did not medal in the mixed team event.

Compound is more competitive, with Indian archers outstripping Korea on both the men’s and women’s world rankings, but Korea is still the second-highest ranked country on either ranking.

The men’s team compound event is also set for Thursday but had yet to begin as of press time. The team recurve events follow on Friday, with all individual medals up for grabs on Saturday.

BY MARY YANG AND JIM BULLEY [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]