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Shanghai 2024: Kim Woojin shoots 699, ties third-highest score ever

24 April 2024

Shanghai, China

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Kim Woojin shot a 699-point qualifying round, matching the third-highest score for the 72-arrow 70-metre in history, to take the top recurve men’s seed at the Hyundai Archery World Cup season opener in Shanghai as his Korean teammate Lim Sihyeon led the women with 683.

On a perfect day at Yuanshen Stadium, Woojin delivered a score that trails only Brady Ellison’s world-record 702 and his own 700 from the 2016 Olympics.

“It‘s nothing special,” he said. “I concentrate on the game I’m playing, position I want and every shot. Then I got a good score.”

“I was not perfect. But I made less mistakes and the arrow group was good. Everyone is in good condition and looking towards the Olympic Games so the performance level is high.”

The man standing behind Woojin in the coaching box today? Im Dong Hyun, who shot the first-ever 699 at London 2012.

Three recurve men broke 690 on the day.

New Pan American Champion Matias Grande (Mexico) seeded second with 695 points and India’s top archer Dhiraj Bommadevara had 693. Both are competition bests and national records.

It’s the best qualifying performance that Kim Woojin has delivered since 2016.

The 699 is the second-highest score of Kim Woojin’s career, after his then-record 700 at the Olympics in RIo.

It’s the best qualifying performance that Kim Woojin has delivered since 2016.

Kim Woojin’s nickname… ‘bear’.

The cut to make matchplay – top 64 archers – was 657 for the recurve men.

The third-youngest man on the field, 17-year-old Baptiste Addis, shot a French national record of 687 points.

Pan Am Champion Matias Grande keeps delivering on the big stage…

…this time with a 695, Mexican record and second seed in Shanghai.

It wasn’t until the closing two ends that Woojin finally took the lead from Grande – and earlier in the afternoon, at halfway, it was French 17-year-old Baptiste Addis at the head of the leaderboard.

The third-youngest recurve man on the field shot 349 for the first 36 arrows.

He couldn’t quite maintain that pace for the length of the session but his final total of 687 is a national record, beating the previous best (owned by Thomas Chirault) by three points. Lisa Barbelin also shot a French record of 678 – a two-point increase – to come second in recurve women’s qualifying.

“This proved that work in the winter is paying off well. I’m super happy,” said Addis. “I focused on myself, and my shooting process, and I shot a very good score, my personal best. I’m very happy.”

A great start to the season for a team looking to produce at a home Olympics in just three months.

But France isn’t the only squad under the spotlight ahead of Paris 2024. The ability of Lim Sihyeon to carry this inexperienced Korean women’s team to glory is the great question – and today’s first evidence suggests she’ll deliver.

Top individual seed for Lim, top team seed for the recurve women and Korea five for five on pole positions on recurve qualification day in Shanghai.

Competition continues with recurve team eliminations on Thursday morning, followed by compound eliminations in the afternoon.