Beginner’s guide to the Nanjing 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final

The 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup Champions will be crowned at the season’s grand finale on 18-19 October in China – the climax of archery’s major annual international competition circuit.

Thirty-two archers, eight in each of the four championship categories, have qualified for this 19th edition of the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Nanjing.

Athletes secured their spots either by winning a stage – held this year in Central Florida (USA), Shanghai (China), Antalya (Türkiye) and Madrid (Spain) – or by collecting enough ranking points to qualify through the Hyundai Archery World Cup Ranking.

Both newly crowned World Archery Champions from the Gwangju 2025 – Kang Chaeyoung and Nicolas Girard – will compete, having each won stages earlier in the season (Kang in Madrid and Girard in Antalya).

Brady Ellison returns to the line-up, having missed the World Cup Final last season for the first time since his debut in 2010.

Of last year’s winners, only Li Jiaman will return to defend her recurve title. Kim Woojin has withdrawn for domestic reasons, while neither Sara Lopez or James Lutz qualified this year.

After the draw on Thursday – part of the opening ceremony –  the competition will be a straightforward bracket starting from the quarterfinals. The four archers who win in Nanjing will secure the title of Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion and a 30,000 CHF cash prize, with 15,000 CHF going to the runner-up, 8,000 to the third place finisher, and 1,500 to the fourth place finisher in each category. 

Following Thursday’s draw – held as part of the opening ceremony – the competition will follow a straightforward bracket format starting from the quarterfinals. The four archers who win in Nanjing will each take the title of Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion and a 30,000 CHF cash prize, with 15,000 CHF for the runner-up, 8,000 CHF for third place and 1500 CHF for fourth in each category.

It is the first time that a Chinese city has hosted the circuit’s grande finale, despite Shanghai having featured as a stage on the circuit in all but four of its 19 editions so far.

Schedule

• Thursday 16 October: Match draw
• Friday 17 October: Official practice
• Saturday 18 October: Compound finals
• Sunday 19 October: Recurve finals

Line-up

The archers listed in bold are the top seeds and will be placed at either end of their match bracket. A match draw, held on Thursday in Tlaxcala, will determine the positions of the other archers.

Winning records

Athletes with multiple Hyundai Archery World Cup Final titles since the circuit’s launch in 2006. Those competing in Nanjing are shown in bold.

• Nine trophies: Sara Lopez (Colombia)
• Five trophies: Brady Ellison (USA), Kim Woojin (Korea)
• Four trophies: Mike Schloesser (Netherlands)
• Three trophies: Ki Bo Bae (Korea)
• Two trophies: Braden Gellenthien (USA), Kang Chae Young (Korea), Sergio Pagni (Italy), Jamie van Natta (USA), Yun Ok Hee (Korea)

Equipment

Athletes at the Hyundai Archery World Cup compete in either the recurve or compound events, which correspond to the type of bow they use.

Recurve bows are the modern evolution of traditional bows. The limbs curve away from the archer at the top and bottom of the bow, which is what gives the ‘re-curve’ its name. The bows feature sights and stabilisers that help the archer to aim and release an arrow accurately.

The recurve events are currently included on the programme of the Olympic Games. 

Compound bows use a system of pulleys and cables, making them a more mechanically efficient and inherently accurate type of bow. The strength required to pull the bow is at its maximum at the start of the process, decreasing the further the bow is drawn back, which makes it easier to hold while aiming. Archers also use mechanical release aids and sights with magnified lenses to further increase accuracy.

Competition format

Eight archers compete in each category at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, with the winner decided on the outcome of a matchplay bracket.

Each of the four competition sessions consists of eight matches: four quarterfinals, two semifinals, a bronze and a gold medal match. An archer must win three consecutive matches to be crowned Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion.

Rules: Recurve

Recurve archers shoot over a distance of 70 metres at targets measuring 122 centimetres in diameter, aiming to hit a 10-ring measuring just 12.2 centimetres in diameter – or about the size of an orange. Recurve matches are decided using the set system.

The goal is to accrue six set points. A set consists of three arrows and the maximum score is 30 points. At the end of each set, the archer with the highest combined arrow score is awarded two set points. Both archers receive one set point if the score is tied.

An archer can win a match quickly – with a score of 6-0 or in ‘straight sets’ – by winning three sets in a row.

Rules: Compound

Compound archers shoot over a distance of 50 metres at targets measuring 80 centimetres in diameter, with the four outer rings removed, aiming to hit a 10-ring measuring just eight centimetres in diameter. Compound matches are decided using cumulative scoring.

The goal is to acquire the most number of points over a certain number of arrows. Matches last for 15 arrows and are split into five ends of three arrows. The maximum score is 150 points and each match takes about 15 minutes.

Rules: Tiebreak

If a recurve match is tied at 5-5 after five sets or a compound match is tied on total score after 15 arrows then a shoot-off decides the winner. Both archers shoot a single arrow and the arrow that lands closest to the centre of the target wins the match.