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Two rookies join Korea’s recurve frontline in 2026 Asian Games year

20 avril 2026

Yecheon, Korea

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The Korea archery association has completed its national team trials for 2026, with new faces appearing on the women’s recurve and compound teams in a year where the 20th Asian Games is the standout event on the calendar for both disciplines.

The recurve women’s team will be represented by Kang Chaeyoung, Oh Yejin and Lee Yunji.

Kang, the reigning World Archery Champion, has been a fixture on the frontline women’s team for the past decade. The 22-year-old Oh was youth world champion in Limerick in 2023 and also won gold at an Asia Cup stage in 2024. Lee, 24, has no international outdoor experience.

With Korean archery placing strong emphasis on leadership from its most experienced athletes, responsibility will fall on Kang, who described herself as the team’s “dependable older sister” in a recent interview.

“Oh Yejin has a short time and is full of confidence,” Kang told Nate Sports News portal. “Lee Yunji is a player I look forward to seeing more of in the future because she always works hard.”

“Although they lack experience in international competitions, I want to advise them to focus on training to build chemistry during matches and to do their best to create games without regrets.”

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion An San failed to make the team, finishing fifth in the final trial, while Paris 2024 Olympic triple gold medallist and Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games Champion Lim Sihyeon was eliminated in an earlier round.

The recurve men’s team remains unchanged from Paris 2024, with Kim Je Deok, Kim Woojin and Lee Woo Seok selected. The only difference this year is that Je Deok topped the trials.

Woo Seok and Je Deok were part of the team that won gold at the last Asian Games alongside Oh Jin Hyek, who has since retired and now joins the coaching staff.

The compound women’s team features Park Yerin, Park Jungyoon and Kang Yeonseo. Yerin, 20, was a silver medallist at last year’s World Archery Youth Championships, while Jungyoon has limited international outdoor experience.

Yeonseo has no international outdoor experience but has attracted attention due to her age – just 14 – and is believed to be the youngest archer Korea has selected for a major international competition.

The compound men’s team features experienced trio Kim Jongho, Choi Eun Gyu and Choi Yonghee. The same lineup represented Korea in 2025, winning gold at the Madrid stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup.

Compound is expected to be a major focus for Korea at this year’s Asian Games following a disappointing performance at the previous edition, where India won all five gold medals available in the discipline – ending Korea’s long-standing dominance of the archery medal table for the first time since 1978.

Images courtesy of Korea Archery Association.