Facing Robots and Noise Training on Soccer Fields... The Secret to Archery's Gold Tower is Extreme Training [Paris Olympics]

Women's Team Continues 10 Consecutive Wins... Men's Team Aims for 3 Consecutive Wins
Bungee Jumping and Cold-Weather Marches to Build Courage... Unique Training Methods

Following the women's archery team's historic achievement of winning 10 consecutive Olympic team gold medals, the men's archery team will also challenge for a third consecutive team victory on the 29th. The secret behind the Taeguk archers' 'archery golden tower' lies in their unique training methods designed to maintain concentration and build courage even in extreme situations.

For Thai archers, noise adaptation training at baseball and soccer stadiums before international competitions is an annual event. This is to ensure they can aim steadily at the target regardless of any variables. On the 29th of last month, the archery team conducted special training during the K League 1 professional soccer match between Jeonbuk Hyundai and FC Seoul held at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.

Kim Woo-jin is undergoing crowd and noise adaptation training for the 2024 national archery team at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do on the 29th.
[Image source=Korea Archery Association, Yonhap News]

The training was conducted in a team match format between the men's and women's teams, with major variables being bad weather and crowd noise. At the time, a heavy rain advisory was issued for six areas in Jeonbuk, including Jeonju, and heavy rain fell. In archery, the match is not stopped as long as the target does not fall, even during heavy rain. The spectators cheered loudly to support the players' training. After a match that lasted until the 4th set, the women's team won with a set score of 5-3.

Simulation training that recreates the competition venue is also conducted. In February 2021, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a training ground similar to the Umenoshima Archery Field was created at the Jincheon National Training Center for training, and in May of the same year, extreme island training was conducted for a week to prepare for strong winds and heavy rain. This special training was held at Dumo Sports Park on Jaeun Island, Sinan County, Jeonnam, which has a climate and environment similar to the Umenoshima Archery Field, located on the coast where weather conditions change rapidly.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A newly introduced training ahead of the Paris Olympics is a match against an AI shooting robot. Developed and provided by the Hyundai Motor Group, the official sponsor, the shooting robot boasts near-perfect accuracy by detecting wind direction and strength with its built-in sensors. This allows archers to experience in advance how to maintain composure when facing unexpectedly strong opponents at critical moments.

In addition, the archery team has conducted unique training such as bungee jumping, winter marches, and frontline fence duty before previous international competitions to cultivate unwavering focus and courage regardless of any situation.

Meanwhile, the men's archery team (Kim Woo-jin, Kim Je-deok, Lee Woo-seok) will compete for the gold medal in the men's team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, held at Les Invalides in Paris, France, at 9:38 PM (Korean time) on the same day. Following the women's team, composed of Lim Si-hyun (Korea National Sport University), Nam Soo-hyun (Suncheon City Hall), and Jeon Hoon-young (Incheon City Hall), achieving the historic 10 consecutive Olympic team victories the day before, a win in the men's team event would mark the third consecutive Olympic team victory for both men and women.