SIM Yeji, three shots at gold and a team world record

The performance of the day came from Korea’s junior women, who smashed the match world record by four points in the semi-finals. Their 228 broke the old mark of 224 set by another Korean team in 2009. SIM Yeji, JEON Sungeun and LIM Heeseon’s supremacy (main photo) is now confirmed: the three took the 1-2-3 seeds after qualification, will all shoot for individual medals... and will shoot for team gold. Top qualifier SIM Yeji is the recurve star of this championships, as she has made all three possible finals.

Korea, who are defending champions, will meet n°2 Ukraine in the final. Anastasia PAVLOVA, Polina RODIONOVA - 2011 cadet team silver medallist - and Olympian Lidiia SICHENIKOVA scored comfortable victories over Italy, Russia and Chinese Taipei.

Host country China - LIU Yue, QI Kaiyao and WANG Zedong – will contest the bronze with SUN Pei-Ning, LEE Fang-Yi and CHANG Yi-Shan of Chinese Taipei - the nation that took silver two years ago.

On the men’s side, Team Netherlands, led by new world senior team silver medallist Sjef VAN DEN BERG, edged out China in the first round. Seeded n°9, VAN DEN BERG and his teammates, Mitch DIELEMANS and Jesher APPELS faced top qualifier and defending champion Korea in the quarter-finals.

The Dutch trio was stronger from the start, beating or drawing their opponent every end. It led to a six-point win, 219-213. But that dominance did not continue: they shot 212 in their next match... it was not enough to beat the United States. With 217 points, twins Daniel and Sean McLAUGHLIN, and Jeremiah CUSICK, pushed USA into a gold-medal tilt against Russia.

Seeded n°2, individual bronze medal finalist Galsan BAZARZHAPOV, Youth Olympic Games bronze medallist Bolot TSYBZHITOV and Beligto TSYNGUEV posted the highest score in every round - including a category-high 223 in the semi-finals. They will be favourites in a final of two teams that missed the podium in 2011. Geographical neighbours Belgium - Michael DECKERS, Lenthy GYS and Robin RAMAEKERS - will fight with the Netherlands for bronze.

In the cadet women’s category, defending champion Korea (n°1) was the top scorer in every round - hitting as much as 227 points. The team gold medal match they shoot on Sunday will be the third medal opportunity for JEONG Yuri (also shooting for mixed team bronze and individual gold) and a second medal chance for LEE Sodam (shooting for individual bronze) – and the first shot at a medal for youngest team member LEE Hyeseon, who turned 14 today.

In the final, Korea will meet n°3 France. Laura RUGGIERI, Mélanie GAUBIL and Aurélie CARLIER upset second-seeded China with a come-back victory in the final end of their semi-final.

The host country’s archers - LI Jiaman, ZHANG Lu and WU Jiaxin (who made her World Cup debut this year aged 16) - will shoot for the bronze medal against the Russian team of Zhibzema DAMBAEVA, Valeria MYLNIKOVA and Tuyana DASHIDORZHIEVA. (The latter was a member of the bronze medal winning team two years ago.)

In the cadet men’s category, n°12 Turkey surprised - in order - no less than Russia, the United States and no°1 seed Chinese Taipei! With scores of 226, 226 and then 222 points, Orkun Ege TOKUSOGLU, Berat AYDIN and Mete GAZOZ (photo) were not far off the totals achieved by the opponent they will face in the final: France, who had 227, 224 then 227 again.

Of all the archers on this final’s field, Thomas KOENIG is the only who shooting for two medals - as he also made the mixed team final. His French teammates are Romain FICHET and Mathieu JIMENEZ.

In the bronze medal match, defending champion Chinese Taipei - CHEN Wei-Chieh, HAN Yun-Chien and LEE Chin-Tang - will face the archers from India, n°6 seeds Ranjit NAIK, Binod SWANSI and Atul VERMA.

The World Youth Championships continue tomorrow with the compound finals, and conclude Sunday with the recurve finals.

World Archery Communication