Kim in, Song out of Korean compound team to shoot at 2019 Hyundai World Archery Championships
Korea has named its compound team for the 2019 Hyundai World Archery Championships being held on 9-16 June in ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Reigning World Archery Champion Song Yun Soo has missed out on a chance to defend her crown and been replaced by her predecessor to the world title, Kim Yunhee.
Yunhee is joined by top-qualifier So Chaewon and former international recurve archer Choi Bomin in the compound women’s team.
Kim Jongho, a two-time winner of the mixed team event at the worlds, won the compound men’s selection event; Choi Yonghee and newcomer Yang Jaewon also qualified.
“It would be great [to win the worlds] but I have to prepare more and I don’t think I’m ready yet,” said Chaewon, who shoots with Song Yun Soo for the Hyundai Mobis professional team. This what she had to say about Song missing the squad:
“It’s really regrettable. Obviously, she is a really good archer. But the circumstances weren’t good for her. I think she’ll be back in the squad, soon.”
Despite collecting a host of recurve world titles since 1979, Korea had not won a compound crown until 2015.
Kim Yunhee won compound women’s gold in Copenhagen that year – when she and Kim Jongho took the mixed team title as well.
Jongho returned to the top of the pairs podium in 2017, this time partnered with Song Yun Soo, who was also the second consecutive Korean compound woman to lift the world championship trophy.
The selection process for the Korean team takes place over a number of ranking tournaments. Its rules change subtly each year, and 2019 is no different.
Usually, in championship years, the team selects four archers in each division for the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit. The team for the worlds, where only three athletes may compete, is then chosen later. However, for ’s-Hertogenbosch, the three-strong worlds teams are being picked directly from the selection tournaments.
“Now we’re preparing as just three we can be more skillful. We don’t have to test ourselves anymore and can just concentrate on shooting our best,” said Chaewon.
Kim Woojin and Kang Chae Young currently lead the recurve selections, which finish on 11 April.
The recurve team will travel to the first stage of the 2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Medellin, Colombia and all 12 selected athletes will be at the second tournament on the circuit in Shanghai, China.
