Kim Woojin’s dreams of a home win ended by D’Almeida in Gwangju

We are not even halfway through the recurve men’s individual competition at Gwangju 2025, but the most memorable match of these World Archery Championships may already have taken place.

Marcus D’Almeida met reigning Olympic Games Champion Kim Woojin in the third round – and knocked out the all-time great, 6-4, at the Gwangju International Archery Centre in a compelling contest.

It was a meeting of world number two against world number three, with four of the five sets tied, and a showcase of unwavering adaptability from Brazil’s D’Almeida.

“I knew it was going to be a hard one,” said the 27-year-old South American Champion, who lost to Woojin in the Antalya 2024 Hyundai World Archery Cup gold medal match. “He’s very much the greatest of all time for the sport, and I knew how difficult it was going to be.”

“I needed a 30 to tie and win the match, and I did that,” D’Almeida continued. “In the middle of the first match, I started with the yellow bow and lost two points, so I changed it. My sight was corrected on the second bow, and I started becoming better. I don’t care about the mistake; I care about how I can do better. If I do badly, I’ll try something else to improve. That’s important for me.”

What made it even more remarkable was that very bow – with a blue riser rather than his usual yellow – had only been put together in the last couple of days. Three days ago, he broke a set of limbs during practice and, with little time to retune, assembled a completely new bow.

Switching to it mid-match only added insult to injury for Woojin, who was visibly frustrated at the end.

“I’m out of the individuals but what can you do? There’s always going to be another,” Woojin said after the match.

There will always be another match, another medal, another moment to display his greatness – but Woojin will know deep down that there may never again be another chance to be crowned World Archery Champion on home soil.

He has the chance to make up for his early individual exit later today in the mixed and men’s team finals at 5.18 Democracy Square.