Korean Olympic committee sets target for Tokyo 2020 medal sweep

KBS World News has reported that the Korean Olympic Committee expects its archers to sweep the gold medals in Tokyo next month, contributing towards a seven-gold target across all sports.

Korea’s archers won all four archery golds for the first time at Rio 2016.

The mixed team competition will make its debut in Tokyo, increasing the number of medals available in the sport to five for the first time since archery’s return to the modern Olympic programme in 1972.

Korea’s Ku Bonchan and Chang Hye Jin are the reigning Olympic Champions. Neither will defend their titles in Tokyo. The Korean team for Japan was named in April.

Korean archers have won 39 medals in the history of archery at the Games.

The country’s recurve women’s team is unbeaten at the Olympics, having won gold in the eight consecutive editions since the event’s introduction.

Despite choosing to forgo the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit in 2021, Korean head coach Park Chaesoon said after an Asian Cup event hosted in Gwangju last month that “the results were so good that, if we keep this as it is, we will be able to achieve our goal when we go to Tokyo”.

We now officially know what that goal is.