Japanese pair maximise on slow Korean start

Japan’s Takaharu Furukawa and Sugimoto Tomomi beat Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin and world record holder Kim Woojin of Korea in the recurve mixed team final, 5-1, at the second stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.

Furukawa credited the victory with the Japanese team’s ability to read the testing conditions. 

“It was very difficult to read the wind. But we adjusted ourselves to the wind more quickly. That’s why we won,” said Furukawa.

The Korean team swept the recurve board at the first stage of the international in Shanghai, but could not repeat that performance on the beach in Turkey.

Chang Hye Jin never looked comfortable on the stage, opening with a six in the pairs final and not finding the middle until the third end. 

The Japanese duo opened with two sets of 37 to take a 4-0 lead, and then matched the Koreans point-for-point, 38 to 38, in set three. The split, and Furukawa’s casual last 10, was enough for victory.

With the Japanese recurve men’s team taking silver and pushing Korea hard earlier in the day, the mood in the team’s camp was optimistic, with an eye, as expected, on the Asian Games. 

“We won the match here because we want to win in Indonesia. But we’re also going to Berlin, and we want to get the same result there, too,” said Furukawa.

The second stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place in Antalya, Turkey on 20-26 May.