With the outdoor season about to get under way, traditionally we look at last year's World Cup Final champions and their goals and plans for the season.
That's always a little tricky when it comes to the Koreans, as they're usually still selecting their frontline teams by the time the first World Cup rolls around each year, and 2026 is no different.
An San was, of course, the winner last year in recurve women at the final in Nanjing; it was her second title after a victory in 2022. She won the title after every archer’s nightmare – celebrating too early against Taipei’s Hsu Hsin-tzu before an upgraded arrow forced a shoot-off.
The 2020 Olympic Champion then delivered a eight, booting the door wide open for the 18-year-old Hsu, who then failed to capitalise, shooting a low seven and handing An her second title on a plate.
It certainly wasn’t An San's finest hour of 2025. That would come two months later indoors at the Taipei Archery Open when she raised the women’s ranking round record to 599, equalling the men’s record. It was an extraordinary and telling moment of parity in the sport. (She didn't however, win the competition).
Since her historic achievement in Tokyo, her career has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride, being off the frontline team as much as on it; although the gruelling Korean trials system has done the same to many previous Olympic gold medallists.
So will we see An San back out on the World Cup circuit? We will see shortly, as their final selection is about to get underway, but she is currently in fifth place on score behind fellow Tokyo alumni and 2021 world champion Jang Minhee, rookie Lee Yunji, reigning world champ and also fellow Tokyo alumni Kang Chaeyoung, and 2023 world university champion Oh Yejin.
It's a big ask, as the Korean team builds towards their second biggest competition after the Olympics: the quadrennial 20th Asian Games, with the archery competition held in the coastal city of Okazaki, Japan. Unlike at the Olympics, at the Asian Games just two athletes of each gender contest the individual finals.
They have, however confirmed that the frontline teams will be attending the Shanghai 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup stage 2; the traditional venue for Korean international debutants.
If An did make it to the final in Satillo in September, her chances of a third title – the number won by legend Ki Bo Bae – are at least as good as anyone else’s.
We profiled Brady Ellison back in December after he took his fifth World Cup final win against the same opponent he had beaten in the final back at Lausanne 2014; . Notably, he seemed to be a much more mature figure than a few years previously, which – perhaps – has contributed towards a consistent level close to his legendary peaks.
He enters the indoor season just a week after winning the Indoor World Series title as well as the main Vegas Shoot title – the 12th time he has taken the top prize at that competition.
In characteristic style, he was scathing afterwards about a performance he didn't feel had hit his own high standards. “To be completely honest, I think it's just one of those weekends that I got lucky. It's my 12th Vegas win and I'll take the paycheck and we'll start going on to the next one and just not think about what happened here.”
“I'm flying to Mexico in a week. I’m probably going to take the kids to mini golf and then try to get them to bed... get home and set up an outdoor bow in the snow.” Ellison will be lining up alongside a USA recurve men’s team of Trenton Cowles and Jack Williams in Puebla.
Ellison’s record at World Cup finals is extraordinary, perhaps even more so than Sara Lopez because of the competition he has faced, and if he managed to make it to Satillo in the same form he has been showing recently, he has every chance of a sixth title.
But who else is there in recurve? Plenty of athletes also in the top ten could spring a surprise.
In the men's competition, again, depending on who makes the Korean frontline team it would be no surprise to see Kim Je Deok or Kim Woojin out front and winning stages or the final, possibly joined by a rookie like Kim Seonwoo, currently riding high in the Korean trials.
There's a long line of men who could also hit a peak of form this year to challenge in 2026 including Matias Grande, Marcus D’Almeida who won a stage in Antalya last year, Mete Gazoz or Andres Temiño Mediel. We might also see some athletes who started to make their mark last year, like Jonathan Vetter or Qin Wangyu.
In the women’s competitions, as well as the Korean women already mentioned, Hsu Hzin-Tzu, Casey Kaufhold, Li Jiaman, or Zhu Jingyi might hit their form, and it would be unwise to count out veteran Alejandra Valencia in a Mexican-focused calendar this year.
The World Cup may well throw up some big surprises – make sure you've got a front row seat.
