Korean coach Oh Kyo-Moon rejoins Australian national team

Archery Australia is relying on a familiar face to train its international archers. 

The national federation announced the appointment of Oh Kyo-Moon to its Olympic high-performance programme coaching staff on Wednesday, welcoming the accomplished Korean back for his second stint with the Australian team.

A multiple Olympic medallist prior to moving into coaching, Oh became an Australian citizen when was appointed head coach there in 2006, part of a large exodus of Korean expertise that ventured outwards in the 2000s. 

Returning to Korea in 2008 to study for a doctorate, he became a national junior coach and then the coach for the Ulsan City pro team in 2013.

In 2016, he was named a coach for the Korean men’s national team, fresh from its victory at the Olympic Games in Rio. His contract in that role lasted until the end of 2020, with Korea refreshing its team management on its customary biennial basis, regardless of the recent disruption to the international schedule.

Oh is now back in Australia as it continues its preparations for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Australian recurve men’s team took bronze in 2016.

The 48-year-old coach will primarily be based in Sydney, where he will oversee the training of athletes on the national recurve programme and support para head coach Ricci Cheah.

Oh is no stranger to success in Australia. He was part of the gold-medal-winning Korean recurve men’s team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

He also held the 1440 Round world record at 1379 points for nine years from 2000 to 2009.