"A 10-time Olympic champion, yet..." Korea's archery wobbles as women's team eight-peat falls through: "It was disappointing overall," athletes lament... Mixed team also settles for bronze [Aichi-Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

Korean archery, which had reigned as the world's strongest with no rivals, is now showing signs of instability. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the Na Seot-deon (CEO) team bowed to India's rapid rise in the women's team event, failing to secure an eight-peat.

The Korean women's Yang Gung (CEO) team, consisting of Kang Chae-young (30, Mobis), Oh Ye-jin (23, Gwangju Bank), and Lee Yun-ji (25, Mobis), lost to India 3-5 in sets in the final of the tournament's recurve women's team event held on the 2nd at the Multipurpose Plaza in Okazaki Central Comprehensive Park, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The world's strongest Korean archery is wobbling at this tournament. In particular, it is shocking that they fell in the women's team event, where they have been on a 10-peat streak even at the Olympics.

The national team had not missed out on the gold medal in the women's team event for seven consecutive times since the 1998 Bangkok Games, but they were dethroned after 28 years.

Korea, which advanced to the quarterfinals with a bye, defeated Kazakhstan 5-3 and Indonesia 6-0 in the semifinals to take a step closer to an eight-peat, but was pushed back by the momentum of India, which has emerged as a rising powerhouse.

In archery team events, the winner of a set is determined by the total score of six arrows shot by three athletes (two each). The team that wins a set earns 2 points, while a tie results in both teams receiving 1 point each. The first team to reach 5 points wins the match.

First shooter Lee Yun-ji started nervously with a 7 on her first arrow, and although Kang Chae-young scored 10 and Oh Ye-jin recorded 9, India shot 9, 9, and 10 to take a 26-28 lead.

Subsequently, Lee Yun-ji hit a 9 with her second arrow, Kang Chae-young scored another 10, and Oh Ye-jin added a 9 for a total of 54 points. India shot a 9, followed by a 7 and then a 10, tying Korea. Both teams took 1 point each in the first set.

In the second set, Korea and India both scored 28 points with their first three arrows. Korea added another 28 points with their second three arrows, but India also tied them, resulting in another split of 1 point each. The set score was 2-2.

The momentum shifted in the third set. With Korea recording 27 points (8-10-9) on their first three arrows, India's first shooter Kirti scored a 10 to take a one-point lead with 28 points. In the second round of three arrows, Korea wobbled by shooting all 8s, while India produced 55 points (8-9-10) to take 2 set points.

In a situation where conceding just one more point to India would mean defeat, Korea failed to write a comeback story. They recorded 54 points, but India tied them again, resulting in another split of 1 point each. India reached 5 points first, handing over the gold medal.

According to NEWSIS, after climbing onto the podium and receiving their silver medals, the athletes met with reporters in the mixed zone and unanimously expressed disappointment. Oh Ye-jin said, "The wind was confusing, but I should have approached it thinking everyone was in the same situation. It is disappointing that we could not get out of it quickly," while Lee Yun-ji conveyed, "It was a disappointing match overall."

They also left regrets in the mixed team event. Kang Chae-young and Kim Je-deok (22, Yecheon County Office) teamed up but suffered a 0-6 set score defeat to China in the semifinals.

Having won the gold medal at the previous tournament, they failed to secure a back-to-back title. Kang Chae-young and Kim Je-deok defeated Japan 5-1 in sets in the bronze medal match, settling for the bronze.

In the mixed team event, the male and female athletes each shoot two arrows for a total of four arrows per set to calculate the score. The subsequent format is identical to the women's team event: winning a set earns 2 points, a tie splits 1 point each, and the first team to reach 5 points wins.

In the first set of the bronze medal match, Kim Je-deok scored 9 and Kang Chae-young shot 10. In the second round, both hit tens, securing 2 points with a score of 39-35.

In the second set, Korea responded to Japan's performance, resulting in a 37-37 tie and splitting 1 point each. In the third set, faced with a 3-1 set score lead, Japan managed only 35 points while Korea scored 37, adding 2 points to claim the bronze medal.

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*This content was translated by AI.