*This content was translated by AI.
The South Korean national archery team is embarking on special live training at a baseball stadium filled with the cheers of spectators. With three-time Olympic champions absent and a 15-year-old middle schooler making her debut as a national team member, Korean archery has undergone significant changes and is now entering its final phase of preparation ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The national archery squad will conduct special baseball stadium training at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 5th to prepare for the Asian Games. This training is not merely an event. It was organized to verify whether archers, who typically train in quiet environments, can maintain their routines and concentration amidst various external stimuli such as spectator cheers, shouts, public address announcements, and electronic scoreboards.
The training, which begins at 3:55 p.m., will feature a total of 12 participants: from the recurve national team, Kang Chae-young (30·Hyundai Mobis), Oh Ye-jin (23·Gwangju Bank), Lee Yun-ji (25·Hyundai Mobis), Kim Je-deok (22·Yecheon County Office), Kim Woo-jin (34·Cheongju City Hall), and Lee Uk-seok (29·Kolon); and from the compound national team, Park Ye-rin (20·Korea National Sport University), Park Jung-yoon (29·Changwon City Hall), Kang Yeon-seo (15·Bucheon G-Sports), Kim Jong-ho (32·Hyundai Steel), Choi Eun-gyu (33·Ulsan Nam-gu Office), and Choi Yong-hee (42·Hyundai Steel).
The national team this year has undergone more changes than ever before. In women's recurve, 2024 Paris Olympics three-time champion Lim Si-hyun (23·Hyundai Mobis) finished 10th in the national selection trials and was eliminated, while 2020 Tokyo Olympics three-time champion An San (25·Gwangju Bank Tenten) placed only fifth in the final evaluation match, missing out on Asian Games qualification.
Instead, led by world number one Kang Chae-young, Oh Ye-jin and Lee Yun-ji will make their debut on the Asian Games stage. The World Archery Federation also noted the lineup featuring Kang Chae-young, who possesses rich international experience, leading two new faces.
Competition is no less fierce. China, along with India, Japan, and Taiwan, are threatening South Korea. In particular, this year in the World Cup, the Korean women's recurve team finished third in the team events at both Shanghai and Antalya, showing that they did not display the overwhelming dominance seen in previous years.
Conversely, men's recurve remains the most stable. Kim Woo-jin, Lee Uk-seok, and Kim Je-deok have reunited once again following the 2024 Paris Olympics. All three athletes topped the men's team events at this year's World Cup, demonstrating clear competitiveness ahead of the Asian Games.
In compound archery, the emergence of Kang Yeon-seo stands out most prominently. Born in 2011, Kang Yeon-seo was selected as a national team member for the first time in Korean archery history by a middle school student and has also secured an Asian Games qualification spot. She will lead the women's compound national team alongside Park Ye-rin and Park Jung-yoon.
Compound archery holds even greater significance for this tournament. With the compound mixed team event set to become an official Olympic sport for the first time at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Asian Games serve as a crucial benchmark for South Korea to gauge its competitiveness two years before the Olympics.
At the previous Hangzhou Asian Games, India swept all five gold medals in compound archery, shaking up the traditional medal landscape of Korean archery. South Korea aims for revenge at this tournament. In the men's division, Kim Jong-ho and Choi Yong-hee will compete in their fourth consecutive Asian Games, joined by Choi Eun-gyu.
During today's training, the compound national team will conduct two-end matches, while the recurve national team will hold two-set matches. Male and female athletes will take turns shooting, and shoot-offs will be conducted if necessary to create pressure situations similar to actual international competitions.
After the training, Oh Ye-jin and Kim Jong-ho will also throw out ceremonial first pitches at the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season game between KIA Tigers and KT Wiz.
Women's recurve with two three-time Olympic champions absent, men's recurve retaining its Paris gold medalists, and compound archery entering a new competitive phase while looking toward the Los Angeles Olympics. Korean archery, carrying different challenges, will sharpen its final live-game instincts for golden hunting amidst the cheers of 20,000 spectators.
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*This content was translated by AI.
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