Months of Korean trials for the 2024 Olympic Games finished today in Yecheon with the announcement of the six archers who will represent archery’s leading nation this summer in Paris.
The recurve men’s line-up is predictable – Kim Woojin, Kim Je Deok and Lee Wooseok – but the women are a shock.
With an unprecedented 10th consecutive Olympic team title on the line and a deep pool of proven international athletes to draw from, Korea is sending an almost entirely inexperienced line-up to the Games.
Lim Sihyeon, last year’s breakout star, returns only to lead rookies Jeon Hunyoung and Nam Suhyeon.
“I’m so grateful to be selected as a member of the team this year. After last year’s results, I will do my best. This is my first time going to the Olympics and I will prepare as much as I prepared for the Asian Games,” said Lim.
“This is a place where everyone wants to be, so I will do my best with the responsibility.”
Over months of selection competitions, resident training with the national eight-archer squads and these final two trials, held in Cheongju and Gwangju in April, three women with no previous Olympic appearances, one combined world championship cap (Lim’s) and who have never shot together as a team are confirmed for Paris.
Korea is famous for its ruthless selection process. It’s a pure meritocracy. Athletes shoot 1000s of arrows and the best performers, whoever they are, are trusted to deliver results.
The Korean women have won every single Olympic team title since the introduction of the event at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games.
An San was the breakout star three years ago in Tokyo, collecting all three possible gold medals after she and Kim Je Deok combined to top the podium in the first-ever Olympic mixed team competition, adding to her individual and team victories.
She was eliminated from this year’s squad in March.
None of the last Games line-up – An, Jang Minhee or Kang Chaeyoung – were Olympians before Tokyo, but Kang did have nearly a decade of international experience.
Paris feels very different.
Not only will 20-year-old Lim, as the clear top qualifier and reigning Asian Games Champion, be expected to produce results at Les Invalides, but she’ll be tasked with anchoring a squad that carries the expectations of a nation.
“I’m not worried,” she said today. “Very good archers joined the team.”
“I‘ll think about how to make the best teamwork. If we work hard, I believe that we can with the team event for the 10th consecutive time.”
Despite being a rookie, Jeon Hunyoung will act as captain – as she is the oldest at 29.
Head coach Hong Seungjin said communication was key to success this summer – and that is why, despite only selecting the squad today, they’ll already be competing together at the first stage of the 2024 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai in less than two weeks.
“You all know that the Korean trials are more difficult [than the Olympics],” he said.
It’s a well-repeated maxim within the country that making the national squad is harder than taking gold at the Games due to the number and quality of archers at domestic competitions.
“These are the athletes I trust,” he continued. “If we become one, we can bring home all the medals.”
While there will be plenty of attention on the inexperienced women’s team, the solid men’s roster will arrive in Paris as heavy favourites for a third Olympic gold in a row.
They have won 14 consecutive top-tier events dating back to before Tokyo.
This will be three-time World Archery Champion Kim Woojin’s third Olympics. Despite all his success on the international stage, he has never made it past the quarterfinals of the individual event at the Games.
Korea is archery’s most successful nation at the Olympics, collecting 43 podiums and 27 gold medals.
Korean team for the 2024 Olympics
- Recurve men: Kim Woojin, Kim Je Deok and Lee Wooseok
- Recurve women: Lim Sihyeon, Jeon Hunyoung and Nam Suhyeon
