Korea will field recurve teams at this year’s international competitions with an astonishing 15 Olympic gold medals between them.
Familiar faces from the last two Games have returned to the Korean frontline for 2025, as the Korea archery association completed the final phase of its lengthy annual selection process in Wonju.
The last selection phases selected the top three from a squad of eight who will compete at the top-tier international tournaments this year, including their home Gwangju 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships in September.
The recurve men’s team is the same three athletes that competed and won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – Kim Woojin, Kim Je Deok and Lee Woo Seok. The three men finished in exactly the same order at last year’s trials.
“Challenges are like meals,” said Kim Woojin, who was once again dominant at a national trials. “Just because you’ve eaten today, it doesn’t mean you won’t need to eat again tomorrow... Each year brings a fresh round of selections, so there is always a sense of competition and nervousness.”
The recurve women’s roster will be Lim Sihyeon, Kang Chaeyoung and An San. An and Kang both return from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games team. It is the first time either have made the frontline team since 2023.
Kang was leading the final trial, although Lim finished first after receiving a points bonus as individual Olympic Champion, as is the usual custom.
”In Korean archery, there’s no guarantee that an athlete who competed in the previous Olympics will return for the next, so I’m truly grateful to the fans who still remember me,” said An San.
”I took some time off from domestic competitions to focus on recovery and manage my injuries, which helped me perform well during the selection trials,” she added.
The compound women’s team will include So Chaewon, Sim Sooin and Han Seungyeon. So is the most experienced international athlete of the three, with Han taking a bronze medal at last year’s Yecheon 2024 Hyundai Archery World Cup.
The compound men’s line-up will be in the experienced hands of Choi Yonghee, Kim Jongho and Choi Eun Gyu.
This year’s teams are expected to compete for the first time at the second stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai, China, in May.
Images and quotes courtesy of Korea archery association.
Korean teams for 2025
- Recurve men: Kim Je Deok, Kim Woojin and Lee Woo Seok.
- Recurve women: An San, Kang Chaeyoung and Lim Sihyeon.
- Compound men: Choi Yonghee, Eun Gyu Choi and Kim Jongho.
- Compound women: Han Seungyeon, Sim Sooin and So Chaewon.
