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| Kim Je-deok / Photo: Korea Archery Association |
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] The third and final selection trials for South Korea’s 2026 national archery team, held at the Kim Su-nyeong Archery Field in Cheongju from March 16–25, produced eight men and eight women each in both recurve and compound.
The result closes out a three-stage selection process that began last September.
The trials stretched across five rounds. Based on first-round standings, the top 16 in each discipline advanced to rounds two through five, with final placements determining the eight men and eight women named to the 2026 national roster.
In women’s recurve, 2022 Tokyo Olympic team gold medalist Jang Min-hee (Incheon City Hall) dominated the field, posting 70 total points and a 28.26 average to finish first.
On the men’s side, Kim Je-deok (Yecheon County Office) topped the standings with 67 total points and a 28.69 average, narrowly ahead of Kim Woo-jin (Cheongju City Hall).
In compound, Park Jeong-yun (Changwon City Hall) and Kim Kang-min (Incheon Yeongseon High School) showed steady form throughout the trials and finished first in the women’s and men’s divisions, respectively.
By contrast, Paris Olympic triple gold medalist Lim Si-hyeon (Hyundai Mobis) placed 10th and missed out on a national-team spot, underscoring the fierce internal competition and the depth of talent in Korean archery.
The team named through these trials will move into the Jincheon athlete village on the 23rd and begin intensified training ahead of final evaluations for the Asian Games.
Team head coach Hong Seung-jin said, “With the Asian Games approaching, the athletes’ focus and performance have sharpened. We will do our best to uphold South Korea’s standing as the world’s top archery nation this year.”
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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