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Host China edges Türkiye in thriller to reach recurve mixed team final

9 May 2025

Shanghai, China

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China’s Li Jiaman beat Türkiye’s Mete Gazoz in Shanghai 2025 recurve mixed team semifinals.

China edged their way into the recurve mixed team gold medal match at the second stage of the 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai with a razor-thin win over Türkiye.

Wang Yan and Li Jiaman overcame Mete Gazoz and Dunya Yenihayat, 5-3, in front of a vociferous home crowd at the Yuanshen Sports Centre. Three of four high quality ends were tied in a high-quality match, with China’s third 39-37 third set being decisive.

The energy on the field mirrored the intensity of Thursday’s recurve men’s team clash between China and Korea, with both squads loudly backed by teammates supporting from behind the shooting line – a cacophony and spectacle rarely seen in midweek eliminations.

“It gave us strength,” said the reserved Wang, when asked whether the noise affected him at all. “Korea is a very strong team, and we will also give our best in that competition.”

“We lost the [men’s] match, but we had confidence in ourselves, and the competition is not over. We have to fight until the last arrow.”

Sunday’s gold medal match will mark Wang’s first World Cup stage appearance outside of the men’s team.

The 25-year-old won bronze in Antalya last year and gold at stage one this season in Central Florida with his teammates, but individual and mixed team medals on archery’s premier international circuit had always eluded him – until now.

His fortunes are guaranteed to change in two days time.

After a finely balanced match, in which any small mistake in form or focus could have costly, China’s head coach Kwon Yonghak – who was also notably vocal throughout – delivered an encouraging message in a post-match huddle.

“We believe in you, and you have to believe in yourself and do all your best,” Wang revealed on what their coach told them.

Lim Sihyeon, Kim Woojin, Michelle Kroppen and Moritz Wieser walking back from the target.

Wang and Li will face reigning Olympic gold medallists Kim Woojin and Lim Sihyeon in the final – one of two gold medal matchups between between Korea and host nation China, alongside the recurve women’s team final.

The Korean formidable duo had its own close call, needing a shoot-off to beat Germany in a tense semifinal.

In a rematch of the Paris 2024 final – this time Michelle Kroppen partnering with Moritz Wieser instead of Florian Unruh – Germany took the first set, then drew the next two. Korea needed a perfect 40 to stay alive, and delivered.

Last year’s Shanghai winners then outscored the Germans 19-17 in the tie-break.

“I was really nervous, but I trusted in Woojin, who shot before me, and I just did my job,” said the reigning Olympic Champion Lim.

“We were just focused on what we were doing, so I wouldn’t say the noise [from other match] was a distraction, I just wonder if it was a bit much.”

In the compound mixed team finals on Saturday, Great Britain will face Türkiye for gold, while India and Malaysia battle for bronze.

Recurve individual eliminations this afternoon wrap up action at the Yuanshen Sports Centre for another year, before competition moves to the Pudong Riverside Financial Plaza for finals this weekend.