South Korea's archery team wrapped up the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with three gold medals, three silver medals, and three bronze medals. The team secured medals in nine out of ten events, missing out on gold in the women's recurve for the first time in Asian Games history.
India, which has shown strength in compound archery, also competed fiercely with South Korea in the recurve events, highlighting the intensifying competition in Asian archery.
The last gold medal for South Korea was won by Lee Woo-seok (Kolon) on October 3 at the Okazaki Central Park in Aichi Prefecture, where he defeated Japan's Junya Nakanishi 6-2 in the men's recurve individual final.
Earlier, Lee teamed up with Kim Woo-jin (Cheongju City Hall) and Kim Je-deok (Yecheon County) to win gold in the men's team event, marking him as a two-time champion at this event.
The men's recurve events accounted for two of South Korea's three gold medals. The trio of Kim Woo-jin, Lee Woo-seok, and Kim Je-deok triumphed over India 5-1 in the team final, securing their second consecutive title following the Hangzhou Games.
In contrast, the women's recurve team finished without a gold medal. The team of Kang Chae-young (Hyundai Mobis), Lee Yoon-ji (Hyundai Mobis), and Oh Ye-jin (Gwangju Bank) lost to India in the final, ending South Korea's streak of seven consecutive victories in this event since the 1998 Bangkok Games.
In the women's individual event, South Korean archers were also thwarted by India's 17-year-old rising star. Kang Chae-young lost in the quarterfinals to Kumkum Anil Mohod, while Oh Ye-jin faced Mohod in the final but lost in a shoot-off. This marks the first time South Korea's women's recurve team has failed to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. In the mixed recurve event, Kim Je-deok and Kang Chae-young secured a bronze medal.
In the compound events, Kim Jong-ho (Hyundai Steel) won the gold medal in the men's individual competition, marking South Korea's first gold in the Asian Games compound individual event since Choi Bo-min in the 2014 Incheon Games.
However, South Korea did not add any more gold medals in the remaining compound events. Choi Yong-hee (Hyundai Steel) and Park Jeong-yoon (Changwon City Hall) earned a silver medal in the mixed team final after a close match against India that went to a shoot-off. In the women's team event, Kang Yeon-seo (Seongsa Middle School), Park Ye-rin (Korea National Sport University), and Park Jeong-yoon won a bronze medal, while Kang Yeon-seo added another bronze in the women's individual event.
The men's team, however, finished fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Taiwan, making it the only event where the South Korean archery team did not secure a medal.
India's dominance continued at this event, having swept all five compound gold medals at the Hangzhou Games. They engaged in significant medal competition with South Korea, blocking them in both the mixed team final and the men's and women's team semifinals. Notably, India also achieved success in the recurve events at this competition.
As the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaches, the introduction of the mixed compound team event as an official category will present ongoing challenges for South Korean archery against emerging competitors like India.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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