Olympics: Getting the edge with 3D printed grips

The Korean recurve men’s team are using customised 3D printed recurve grips here at Paris 2024, part of a range of hi-tech measures to ensure they remain at the top of the sport.

Korean legend Im Dong Hyun, having retired as a competitor, is here as a coach for the men’s team.

“We start with their favourite stock grip, then experiment with taking material off and sometimes adding it on," he said.

The grip is then scanned and a 3D printed version produced.

“All the men’s team are using custom grips; for the women, some have it and some don’t.”

Most of the men's team still like to add tape on top as well. 

The Korean team has been working with these grips since around 2018.

At the press conference in 2024 when the Olympic teams were announced, they were mentioned along with other technology used by the national squad, such as a recurve shooting machine for testing arrows.

3D printed grips have been available to archers for a few years, and archers have been customising equipment like grips and tabs to personal specifications for many decades.

The difference, perhaps, is in the scientific, repeatable approach – something you might very much associate with the Korean national team, with their reputation for examining every aspect of the sport.