Kang Chae Young’s 670 tops recurve women’s ranking round as weather closes in Medellin

Korea’s Kang Chae Young scored 670 out of a possible 720 points for the 72-arrow 70-metre ranking round to finish top of recurve women’s qualification at the first stage of the 2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Medellin, Colombia.

Her teammate Choi Misun came second with 667 and Lan Lu of China third back on 659. Despite holding pole position, world-record holder Chae Young wasn’t impressed.

“I’m not happy with my score. I had some bad arrows because of the wind so it’s not a score I feel I can be satisfied with,” she said. “It was windy and I wasn’t able to maintain my form in the way that I wanted to.”

The weather was beautiful during the morning’s qualification session. It was sunny and still – and scores reflected the conditions.

Archers shooting in the afternoon, the recurve women and compound men in Medellin, didn’t have the same good fortune.

Clouds swelled overhead as heavy rain could be seen pelting the mountains to the left of the field and wind started attacking the range. There was lightning in the far distance, but it luckily never came close enough to call a stop to the competition.

Kang and Choi made the best of the afternoon, separating from the rest of the pack.

Chang Hye Jin, Wu Jiaxin, Zhai Yuejun, Michelle Kroppen and Lucilla Boari, the remainder of the top eight, all scored between 658 and 654 points.

Kang, Choi and Olympic Champion Chang seeded top in the recurve women’s team event. Their 1995-point total led China and Germany in the top three.

The line-up, which has already been decided for the upcoming Hyundai World Archery Championships in ’s-Hertogenbosch, is the same that shot – and won – the worlds in Mexico City in 2017.

Kang was confident in her teammates: “I think we’re going to do well.”

She and Kim Woojin came within two points of the mixed team ranking round world record in Medellin, but the deteriorating weather scuppered any chances of that falling.

Competition at the first stage of the 2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Medellin, Colombia runs until Sunday 28 April.