Korean compound women covered in glory today in Taipei

The compound individual and mixed team competitions started at the elimination stages today and ended with medals being awarded at the Asian Championships. The morning started with heavy and constant rain, but that did not stop the Korean women finishing their excellent season with one final triumph.

Compound Women
Three out of the four compound women athletes from Korea that made the trip to these championships made the semi-finals: clear evidence of this nation’s recent rise to competitiveness in the bow style. SEO Jung Hee, the odd one out, lost in the 1/8 round to her teammate SEOK Ji Hyun. YOUN So Jung (KOR) took on Mino ABEDI (IRI) in the toughest of the quarter-finals. YOUN won by just a point, 141-140. CHOI Bomin, the fourth and final Korean in action, was YOUN’s semi-final opponent - in a match that YOUN won comfortably, by four points. SEOK made it an all-Korea final, beating home-turf Chinese Taipei athlete CHEN Li Ju in the other semi-final.

CHOI made difficult work of CHEN in the bronze medal match, but eventually sneaked bronze by one point, 139-138. An all-Korean podium already decided, SEOK and YOUN could not decide who would take home the title in the regulation 15 arrows - as they ended in a tie! In the shoot-off, though, it was SEOK (main photo) scored better, claiming victory, the gold medal and a second title of Asian Champion after 2009. YOUN travels home with silver.

Compound Men
Two archers from the Indian subcontinent made it to the semi-finals: Sandeep KUMAR and Abhishek VERMA. Nevertheless Indian favourite Rajat CHAUHAN did not join them; he was replaced by Hamzeh NEKOEEI (IRI), who beat him in the quarter-finals. Thai athlete Chanchai WONG completed the last-four line-up. VERMA had no trouble beating WONG in their semi-final, 140-132, while KUMAR and NEKOEEI’s battle was a little tighter. NEKOEEI needed a shoot-off to secure a gold-medal match for Iran.

Unexpected invitee to the bronze match, Chanchai WONG (THA) started strongly, justifying his place in the finals. Over the second half of the match his Indian opponent, KUMAR, pulled away - and won bronze, 146-141. NEKOEEI (photo) led a tight final with VERMA the whole way, coming away with victory and the title of Champion of Asia 2013. Final score: 144-141.

Compound Mixed teams
India, Chinese Taipei, Iran and Korea all won byes to the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Teams that wanted to join them had to win their 1/8 elimination matches: Singapore proceeded to beat Kazakhstan, Iraq took victory over Mongolia, Hong Kong fell to Indonesia and Thailand advanced instead of Vietnam. No surprise teams made it through the quarter-finals, though: the semis saw India shoot against Chinese Taipei and Iran against Korea. India’s mixed team, Lily Chanu PAONAM and Abhishek VERMA, quickly claimed a place in the gold medal match, posting 150 points to 147 from WEN Ning-Men and KUNG Lin Hsiang of Chinese Taipei. Meanwhile, Iranians Mino ABEDI and Amir KAZENPOOR cruised past the Korean pair, 151 to CHOI Bomin and MIN Lihong’s 146.

WEN and KUNG gave local spectators reason to cheer when they beat CHOI and MIN with a convincing, seven-point Chinese Taipei lead after 16 arrows, taking the bronze medal. Not so easy for India, as they had to fight to the very end to finally beat Iran. ABEDI and KAZEMPOOR could not keep up with PAONAM and VERMA (photo), though - and looked on when the Indian delegation erupted in celebration as their pair claimed the gold.

Tomorrow in Taipei: recurve eliminations and finals in the individual and mixed team competitions. Stay tuned in our website.

World Archery Communication