Compound Preliminary Round Begins on the 17th... Six-Day Marathon Until the 22nd
270 Archers from 38 Countries Compete... Including Ansan and Kim Je-deok
On the morning of the 17th, archers conducting official practice are walking to check their scores after shooting arrows at the target.
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Junho] Around 11 a.m. on the 17th, at the International Archery Field located in Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, athletes from various countries with different hair, skin, and eye colors stood in a line and drew their bowstrings.
The athletes participating in the 2022 Archery World Cup began practice matches ahead of the competition.
The target for the athletes is a 122 cm diameter target board, specifically the 10-point bullseye with a diameter of 12.2 cm at the center of the target board.
Although these top-level athletes represent their countries and have extensive experience, the tension was evident on their faces, perhaps due to the pressure of the competition's start.
As arrows released from the bowstrings flew in an arc and struck the target, some athletes shook their heads, seemingly dissatisfied with the results.
Inside the stadium, upbeat music was played, possibly to ease the athletes' tension, but the determination and nervousness could be felt in every expression and movement of the players.
The athletes practiced from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day.
This tournament holds more significance than any other. The World Archery Championships, the oldest and most prestigious international archery competition, is scheduled to be held in Gwangju in 2025, making this World Cup a precursor to that event.
The tournament, running until the 22nd, officially begins at 2 p.m. with the compound preliminary rounds. Representatives from 38 countries, totaling 270 archers, compete fiercely.
In the compound event, athletes shoot from a distance of 50 meters to the target, shooting 36 arrows twice, for a total of 72 shots.
After the compound preliminaries, if there is a tie, a shoot-off is held where each archer shoots one arrow at a time, and the higher score determines the ranking.
Once the rankings are decided, the match brackets will be arranged accordingly.
In this World Cup, Olympic male team members from Tokyo such as Oh Jin-hyek, Kim Woo-jin, and Kim Je-deok, along with 2018 Jakarta Asian Games silver medalist Lee Woo-seok, are competing with hopes of winning gold medals.
In the women's division, rising star I Ga-hyun, who achieved first place in the national team selection, has joined the competition. Additionally, a star-studded team including three-time Tokyo Olympic champion An San, Kang Chae-young, and Choi Mi-sun is participating.
Brad Wilson, the world number one in the recurve event from the United States, who shoots from a distance of 70 meters, is also competing, drawing global attention.
Son Im-ho (60), who came from Gwangsan-gu to watch the World Cup, said, "I retired after working as a physical education teacher. Especially, I was an archery coach at Dongmyeong Middle School for about three years, so I have a lot of affection for archery and came to watch the World Cup in person." He added, "I hope all of our national representatives win gold medals."
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