Lee Eun Gyeong wins Hyundai Archery World Cup Final to close debut season
Lee Eun Gyeong beat host nation representative Yasemin Anagoz, 6-4, in the recurve women’s gold medal match at the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final on a rainy Sunday morning in Samsun, Turkey, closing her debut season as a member of the Korean senior team in style.
“It was my first World Cup Final so I just tried to enjoy myself. I led the match, had a good result and I’m really happy,” said Lee.
“I was nervous, and when I get nervous I shoot faster. I tried to calm down and focus on my technique.”
The 21-year-old beat two Olympic medallists in Ksenia Perova and Lisa Unruh to make the gold medal match against newly-crowned European Archery Champion Yasemin Anagoz.
Anagoz didn’t qualify for Samsun outright but was given the spot Turkey receives as host nation of the tournament.
“I didn’t expect to shoot against the Turkish archer in the gold medal match. There were many unexpected results but I couldn’t do anything except focus on myself,” said Lee.
The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympian took an early lead but Yasemin fought back, levelling the match at 3-3. Lee took the fourth set and then split the fifth, at 27 points apiece, to take the match and the title.
Anagoz, who upset Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin in her first match, was satisfied with silver.
“I eliminated the number one ranked archer in the world and my other opponents were also ranked high. I am 11th in the world ranking and this shows were are at a close level. That is why I’m happy,” she said.
India’s Deepika Kumari, who did not have a coach in Samsun, beat Lisa Unruh of Germany to recurve women’s bronze in a single-arrow shoot-off. Kumari shot a high 9.5, Lisa a low eight-nine-linecutter.
It is Kumari’s fifth Hyundai Archery World Cup Final medal, following four silvers won between 2011 and 2015.
“I’m happy but I know could have done better,” said Deepika. “I was a bit panicky after we were locked at 5-5… As often you end up losing a shoot-off. But I told myself, ‘I will accept whatever the result is, I will just give my best shot’. I'm satisfied with the arrow.”
The 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final takes place on 29-30 September in Samsun, Turkey.
