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E-mail Xinhua, July 12, 2024
South Korea has dominated archery in Olympic history for decades, particularly in the women's team events. However, the archery powerhouse faces significant challenges at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Kim Woojin of South Korea competes during the Recurve Mixed Team competition at Shanghai 2024 Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai, China, April 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)
Since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, South Korea has secured nine consecutive gold medals in women's team archery and has claimed most of the women's individual Olympic titles since 1984, with the exception of the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Chinese archer Zhang Juanjuan won.
Maintaining this dominance will not be easy for South Korea this year. The men's lineup includes Kim Woojin, Kim Je Deok, and Lee Wooseok, while Lim Sihyeon, Jeon Hunyoung, and Nam Suhyeon will compete in the women's events. Notably, An San, who won three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, is not on the Paris Olympic roster.
Countries such as Japan, India, and China are gearing up to challenge South Korea's supremacy. At the 2024 Archery World Cup, The Chinese women's team achieved two victories over South Korea in Shanghai and Yecheon.
Before the finals of the Archery World Cup in Shanghai, the International Archery Federation conducted a survey predicting the championship outcome, with 97 percent of the votes favoring South Korea. Despite the pressure, the Chinese archers triumphed.
China aims to challenge South Korea again in Paris, fielding Li Jiaman, Yang Xiaolei, and An Qixuan for the women's team, and Wang Yan, Li Zhongyuan, and Kao Wenchao for the men's team.
The Olympic archery competitions in Paris promise to feature top-notch athletes. In addition to the aforementioned competitors, Marcus D'Almeida of Brazil, named Archer of the Year by the World Archery Federation in 2023, and Mete Gazoz of Türkiye, the reigning individual Olympic champion, will also be strong contenders.
The Paris Olympics will award five gold medals in archery across the men's team, women's team, men's singles, women's singles, and mixed team events. The competitions will be held at the Esplanade des Invalides from July 25 to August 4.
