The recurve women’s competition at the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final is the only in which the champion from the previous season – in this case, Ki Bo Bae – does not return to defend their title.
Bo Bae’s opponent in Rome last year, Ksenia Perova, is in Samsun – and she’s also the reigning World Archery Champion, having beaten Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin to that honour in Mexico City.
Perova has the third-lowest average arrow score of the eight women in the line-up – but she is a winner, especially in Turkey. She’s won the last two stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya (in 2017 and 2018) and finished second the season prior.
Stat-sheet #3: Recurve women
- Number of athletes: 8
- Number of nations: 6
- Defending champion: Ki Bo Bae, Korea (not competing)
- World number one: Chang Hye Jin, Korea
- Competition start: 10am CET Sunday 30 September
Qualifiers
(World ranking is given in brackets after each athlete’s name. Average arrow given for 70-metre ranking rounds and matches, match wins and tiebreaks at world ranking level and above. Statistics may not be complete.)
CHANG HYE JIN, Korea – top seed (1)
The reigning Olympic Champion of Rio 2016 still enjoying her post-Games performance honeymoon.
Chang shot the best three arrows of the year on the way to winning gold at the season’s opening stage in Shanghai and then followed that up with silver in Antalya. She’s got the highest per-arrow average of the eight recurve women in Samsun and, as world number one, arrives as the favourite.
- Average arrow: season – 9.31; career – 9.26
- Match wins: season – 11-3 (79%); career – 72-26 (73%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 2-2 (50%); career – 3-7 (30%)
KSENIA PEROVA, Russia (2)
Not the highest per-arrow scorer but always in the mix. World Archery Champion Perova beat Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin to that individual title at the end of 2017.
Aside from being a pro in Turkey (two golds and a silver over the last three stages held in Antalya), Ksenia arrives in Samsun with a career-highest world ranking of two.
- Average arrow: season – 9.06; career – 8.94
- Match wins: season – 10-3 (77%); career – 107-46 (70%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 1-1 (50%); career – 9-7 (56%)
TAN YA-TING, Chinese Taipei (3)
At her third Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in a row, Tan will look to do better in Samsun than a tournament-best third place from Odense in 2016. She also made the bronze medal match last year in Rome but lost it to Chang.
- Average arrow: season – 9.15; career – 9.18
- Match wins: season – 11-7 (61%); career – 91-41 (69%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 0-3 (0%); career – 7-10 (41%)
LEE EUN GYEONG, Korea – second seed (4)
Eun Gyeong made her international debut as a member of the Korean senior team at the start of 2018. She improved throughout the year.
After starting with a 17th place in Shanghai, she finished fourth in Antalya – and then won the last stop of the year in Berlin, knocking teammate Kang Chae Young out of the running for this Hyundai Archery World Cup Final and securing herself an automatic qualification spot.
- Average arrow: season – 9.27; career – 9.31
- Match wins: season – 8-3 (73%); career – 15-4 (79%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 0-0; career – 1-1 (50%)
LISA UNRUH, Germany (5)
It’s been four years since Unruh last shot in a Hyundai Archery World Cup Final; she finished sixth in Lausanne in 2014.
Over the last half-a-decade, Lisa’s won two world field titles, the world indoor title and an Olympic silver medal. Breaking onto the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final podium would be another new addition to that list of accolades.
- Average arrow: season – 9.07; career – 8.93
- Match wins: season – 21-7 (75%); career – 101-51 (66%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 1-1 (50%); career – 11-7 (61%)
DEEPIKA KUMARI, India (8)
A four-time Hyundai Archery World Cup Final silver medallist from six editions of the event (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017), Kumari won her first individual medal on the World Cup circuit in three years when she took gold in Salt Lake City.
- Average arrow: season – 9.03; career – 9.09
- Match wins: season – 11-4 (73%); career – 106-45 (70%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 0-0; career – 9-9 (50%)
LEI CHIEN-YING, Chinese Taipei (9)
The leader of the Chinese Taipei recurve women’s team won bronze in her only previous Hyundai Archery World Cup Final appearance to date in Mexico City in 2015.
She just qualified for this event on points – but that’s irrelevant when she steps onto the field in Samsun, and just three matches separate this 28-year-old from gold.
- Average arrow: season – 9.18; career – 9.01
- Match wins: season – 12-7 (63%); career – 68-41 (62%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 0-2 (0%); career – 4-6 (40%)
YASEMIN ANAGOZ, Turkey – host representative (11)
Anagoz received Turkey’s host nation spot to this competition. She’s ranked 11th in the world arriving at the event, though, and is fresh off the back of winning the European Champion title in Legnica.
Her per-arrow average this season matches up with that of Kumari and she deserves to be on this field as much as any of the other eight recurve women.
- Average arrow: season – 9.03; career – 8.88
- Match wins: season – 13-5 (72%); career – 44-24 (65%)
- Tiebreak wins: season – 1-2 (33%); career – 8-4 (67%)
The 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final takes place on 29-30 September in Samsun, Turkey.
