Gwangju, Korea, April 29, 2022: The mighty Korean archery team has been announced for the new season, including the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September.
The selection was announced in Gwangju after a gruelling series of trials, with the competition for a place on the national team as fierce as for an Olympic Games medal.
Last year’s recurve men’s line-up – Olympic team champions Oh Jin Hyek, Kim Woojin and Kim Je Deok – will all return for the upcoming season and be joined by 2014 Youth Olympic Games champion Lee Woo Seok.
“As usual, these trials were a competition where I was able to feel the strength of Korean archery,” said Oh, the 40-year-old London 2012 Olympic Champion who has postponed his competitive retirement yet again.
Olympic champion An San, who won three gold medals at Tokyo 2020 in mixed team, women’s team and women’s individual, and world record holder Kang Chae Young are also back, as is the decorated Choi Misun.
The final recurve women’s trials weren’t won by any of those big names, though – but by 21-year-old Lee Gahyun, who is graduating to the senior line-up after previously representing Korea at youth internationals.
Kim Jongho, Yang Jaewon, Choi Yonghee, Kang Dong Hyun, Kim Yunhee, Song Yun Soo, So Chaewon and Oh Yoohyun comprise the compound line-up.
“Four years have passed and now I am challenging the Asian Games again,” said Jongho. “I will work hard to prepare to show that not only Korea’s recurve archers can be the best in the world, but that our compound archers be the best, too.”
Korea won four of the eight available gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games, led by Kim Woojin’s individual title in the recurve men’s event. The next Asian Games will offer 10 medals for the first time, with full recurve and compound event programmes. The team is:
Recurve men
Kim Woojin (Chungju City)
Kim Je Deok (Gyungbuk II High School)
Oh Jin Hyek (Hyundai Steel)
Lee Woo Seok (Kolon X10 Boys)
Recurve women
Lee Gahyun (Daejeon City)
Kang Chae Young (Hyundai Mobis)
An San (Gwangju Women’s University)
Choi Misun (Suncheon City)
Compound men
Kim Jongho (Hyundai Steel)
Yang Jaewon (Ulsan District)
Choi Yonghee (Hyundai Steel)
Kang Dong Hyun (Daegu City)
Compound women
Kim Yunhee (Hyundai Mobis)
Song Yun Soo (Hyundai Mobis)
So Chaewon (Hyundai Mobis)
Oh Yoohyun (Jeonbuk Province)
Source: https://worldarchery.sport
