"The gold medal has become the default." World's strongest Korean men's archery team speaks candidly... Captain Kim Woo-jin's counterintuitive idea: "Don't just defend; let's challenge again" [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

"At some point, the expectation that we must achieve this much became our default."

Kim Woo-jin (34, Cheongju City Hall), the "captain" of the world's strongest Korean men's archery team, candidly shared the burden only those at the top can feel.

After completing special training ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on the 5th at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, Kim said, "Because we have achieved such good results in so many competitions, that has become a burden for the athletes."

He continued, "The expectation that we must achieve this much has become our default value. As a result, the athletes have become defenders rather than challengers," he revealed his honest feelings.

Therefore, what Kim said to his juniors Lee Woo-seok (29, Kolon) and Kim Je-deok (22, Yecheon County Office) while preparing for this tournament was somewhat unexpected. It was a counterintuitive idea: not to try to defend the top position. Kim explained, "Let's become challengers again. Instead of focusing on results, we should be more faithful to the process and diligently carry out that process while communicating openly."

When asked about his mindset for this Asian Games, Lee Woo-seok immediately replied, "I will quote (Kim) Woo-jin's words," adding, "We keep saying we should become challengers rather than defenders, and our training is being adjusted in that direction."

The reason for their concern is evident just by looking at the records. The South Korean men's recurve archery team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games consists of Kim Woo-jin, Lee Woo-seok, and Kim Je-deok—the same world-class trio that won gold in the men's team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Their performance on the international stage this year has been overwhelming. From the second leg of the World Cup in Shanghai to the final, the three have never missed a gold medal in the men's team event. In Shanghai, they defeated Turkey; in the third leg in Antalya, they beat the United States; and in the fourth leg in Madrid, they overcame France, securing first place in all three World Cups they participated in.

Their competitiveness remains strong even in individual events. Lee Woo-seok reached the final at the Antalya World Cup and won a silver medal, while Kim Je-deok claimed a bronze medal in the individual event in Madrid. In the Madrid preliminaries, Kim Woo-jin shot 695 points, ranking first among 115 competitors overall.

Even domestic competition is at the world's highest level. At this year's final Asian Games evaluation tournament, youngest member Kim Je-deok secured a spot in the team by finishing first overall, surpassing both Kim Woo-jin and Lee Woo-seok. For the first time since 2016, when Kim Woo-jin had won the evaluation tournament for ten consecutive years, he yielded the top position to his junior.

However, the world stage is not exclusively Korea's domain. India's rise has been particularly fierce. At the Antalya World Cup, India's Diraz Bommadiba defeated Lee Woo-seok to win the men's individual gold medal. In the mixed team final featuring Kim Je-deok and Oh Ye-jin (23, Gwangju Bank TenTen), India also defeated South Korea.

However, the three athletes focus more on what they need to do rather than looking at their opponents. Lee Woo-seok said, "We are not particularly focused on any specific opponent," adding, "When things don't go well during a match, I've learned what needs improvement so that we can perform more comfortably in the next game."

Kim Je-deok also emphasized, "These three of us have been competing together for the national team for about five years now. Instead of worrying about opponents, I think we should just focus on what we do. We keep telling each other to 'just do our own thing' while building team chemistry."

In individual events, only the top two qualifiers from among the three will compete. It is a structure where the world's strongest three must first overcome each other. Kim Je-deok confidently stated, "Whichever athlete competes, we expect the best possible result, and that is how we are preparing."

Because gold medals have become so familiar in Korean archery, people at some point feel they can comfortably turn on the TV just for archery. When reporters asked, "Can we watch without worrying this time too?" Kim Je-deok immediately replied without hesitation, "All three of us here are preparing exactly like that."

Although the gold medal has become the default, the world's strongest archers are starting from the starting line again as "challengers" rather than "defenders." Kim Woo-jin expressed his determination: "We have prepared very hard. In the remaining time, we will take care to avoid injuries and do our best to show a refreshing match that doesn't get too hot after summer passes."

Lee Woo-seok said, "We will come back smashing everything with gold medals," while Kim Je-deok declared his ambitious goal: "The three of us are facing 2026 together. We will do our best to show the public the same confident image once again."

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*This content was translated by AI.