Lim Sihyeon saves Shanghai after Korean recurve team losses

Surprise Spanish finalist Andres Temiño and world-number-two Lim Sihyeon won the recurve events at the first stage of the 2024 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai after a dramatic last day of competition in which Sihyeon’s Korean team failed to exert its usual dominance.

Korea lost the men’s and women’s team finals during the morning session – while Lim and Kim Woojin were lucky to win the pairs competition.

“I was bad in the morning but I was good in the afternoon,” said Sihyeon, who has now won three of the four circuit stages in which she has competed in her short international career.

“I’m frustrated about the team and mixed team results. But I did my best. I played well and I got the individual win. I focused on my shots and performed better. I’m happy to win a World Cup gold medal again here in Shanghai.”

Lim made her international debut in this city last year – and topped the podium.

The top qualifier in the recurve women’s event this week, she was the on-paper favourite entering today’s final four… until Li Jiaman ran her to a shoot-off in the semis.

Jiaman’s China had beaten Lim and Korea in the recurve women’s team final in the morning but the host couldn’t repeat the upset and lost the tiebreak, 10 to eight.

Lim’s opponent in the final? India’s all-time best archer Deepika Kumari, was making her return to the international stage this week after becoming a mother in late 2022 and missing the team in 2023. 

Kumari didn’t have a coach behind her in the arena.

The Indian team was penalised at this event for falling foul of the rules on the maximum number of officials in the field of play earlier in the week – so all of the country’s finalists competed alone. It didn’t faze the former world number one in the semis as she steamrolled Lim’s teammate Nam Suhyeon with sets of 29, 29 and 28 points.

But she didn’t look as comfortable in the final and couldn’t match Lim’s pace, falling in straight sets.

“It felt nice to play in the final after a long time,” Deepika said afterwards. “My breathing pattern was off and I made some small mistakes.”

It’s a great sign for an Indian team still without Olympic quotas that Kumari is already a podium contender again.

Spain’s Andres Temiño made his international debut in 2023. After seeding 15th this week in Shanghai, his unlikely run at the podium concluded with a sublime final against Korean Kim Je Deok in which the 20-year-old shot two perfect sets en route to a 6-2 victory.

“The key to the win was trusting my process,” he said. “I was so nervous in the last arrow. But I tried to focus on my shot and tried to control my emotion.”

His last arrow – the last arrow of this event – was a 10.

The Hyundai Archery World Cup moves to Yecheon (Korea) for stage two in May.

Podiums: Shanghai 2024

Full results on the event page.

Recurve men

1. Andres Temiño, Spain
2. Kim Je Deok, Korea
3. Kim Woojin, Korea

Recurve women

1. Lim Sihyeon, Korea
2. Deepika Kumari, India
3. Li Jiaman, China

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