An San beats Kumari in women’s final at Tokyo 2020 Olympic test event
Korea’s An San beat Deepika Kumari of India in straight sets, 6-0, to take the recurve women’s gold medal at the Ready Steady Tokyo test event for the 2020 Olympic Games.
“At this moment, I’m not sure to make the national team for the Olympics next year. But I’m happy to have shot here,” said An San. “I think there is some pressure on the Korean team [for the Games next year]. But I will try hard so I can stand in the same place.”
The 18-year-old only made her international debut at the most recent stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Berlin, which she also won.
She beat teammate and reigning Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin and Chinese Taipei’s Tan Ya-Ting before stepping out to face Kumari in the final of the test event. The Indian archer had also just finished off a run of two impressive matches.
Deepika recovered from a 4-0 deficit to Tatiana Andreoli in the quarterfinals by shooting three sets of 29 points – and then winning a shoot-off. She then dispatched China’s Zheng Yichai with scores of 29, 29 and 30 points in the semis.
But Kumari couldn’t quite capture that same form in the final.
An San improved, set on set, and finished with a perfect 30 points – just as she did in Berlin – to take the test event title, 6-0.
“Next year there will be more spectators and more people, so I think it will look grander,” said An San. “I will do my best before the Olympics so that I, hopefully, can be here again.”
This test event does count towards the world ranking and is a high-level tournament against peers. But most archers in Tokyo this year are more focused on preparing for next summer’s competition rather than the immediate results.
Silver medallist Kumari is one of them.
“I’m happy. I‘ve seen everything here and hopefully next year we qualify for the Olympics and we perform the same, I perform the same,” she said. “I’m improving myself and I’m proud of myself. I didn’t quite catch my shooting [in the final]; recently I’ve been working on my technique, but I didn’t quite catch it.”
Tan Ya-Ting finished with the bronze medal after beating Zheng in five sets, 7-3.
It is the second consecutive test event at which the world number two climbs the podium. She came second to Choi Misun at the Aquece Rio International Archery Challenge four years ago.
The Ready Steady Tokyo test event takes place on 11-18 July 2019 in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic venue in Tokyo, Japan.
