17 November 2011 - Athlete of the Week: JUNG Dasomi (KOR)

Athlete of the Week: JUNG Dasomi (KOR) Lausanne – 17 November 2011   The 20-year-old JUNG Dasomi from Korea had a breakthrough year in 2011. As a new member on the Korean recurve team this season, she won three medals in her first World Cup appearance in Porec, and added the individual title in Antalya. She ended 2011 in style with a double victory at the Olympic Test Event in London, which earned her the top spot of the World Ranking.   The 20-year-old JUNG Dasomi (KOR) had a remarkable breakthrough year in 2011. During her first season competing at the elite level, she culminated the year as the top-ranked recurve archer in the World Ranking.   The first stage of the 2011 World Cup in Porec was JUNG’s first major international competition. Not only did she kick off the competition as the best archer during qualifications, but she also went on to win the team gold medal with her teammates KI Bo Bae and HAN Gyeonghee.   JUNG also qualified for the mixed team gold medal final, paired with OH Jin Hyek, the 2009 team world champion and winner of the Asian Games 2010. They faced the American pair that was composed of the reigning World Cup winner Brady ELLISON and the four-time Olympian Khatuna LORIG. Korea proved the most consistent team on the field and claimed the gold medal with a score of 148-146.   In Porec JUNG easily cruised to the individual semifinal, where she conceded a surprising defeat to Italy’s Pia Carmen LIONETTI. In the individual bronze medal final JUNG faced her more experienced teammate KI Bo Bae, who was 3rd at the World Cup Final 2010. JUNG won the bronze medal after a shoot-off: her tie-break arrow was a mere 5mm closer to the centre than her opponent’s!   At the second stage of the 2011 World Cup in Antalya, JUNG won the team title again and qualified for the individual gold medal final, which she played against KI Bo Bae once again. JUNG improved from individual bronze to gold, claiming her first individual title in an international competition.   "I did not realise I had won at first, because I was so nervous and still a bit embarrassed that I shot a miss in the third set. The wind was extremely strong. My opponent, teammate KI Bo Bae is also very strong but probably today the wind was the strongest opponent. Still I am very happy that I won a tournament at the highest level. I hope there will be more victories to come."   In July, JUNG Dasomi competed in her first World Championships. She suffered a surprising 4-6 defeat in her individual competition quarterfinal against Kristine ESEBUA (GEO/39) and finished 6th overall. In the team event, JUNG, KI and HAN were seeded No. 1 after qualifications. In the semifinal, they suffered two 8s in the first end and were upset by India (4). The Korean team was consoled with the World Championships bronze medal.   JUNG went on to win the team event at the Summer Universiade in China where she also finished 2nd individually.   Thanks to her victory in Antalya and 3rd-place finish in Porec, JUNG qualified brilliantly for the World Cup Final in Istanbul. She beat Natalia NASARIDZE (TUR) in the quarterfinal, but lost the semifinal 4-6 to the eventual World Cup Final winner, CHENG Ming (CHN). JUNG had a shaky performance in the bronze medal final, losing to Berengere SCHUH (FRA). All was not lost, however, because she went on to win the gold medal in the mixed pair competition. Paired with OH Jin Hyek, she easily defeated the team from the host country, Yagiz YILMAZ/Natalia NASARIDZE (TUR).   JUNG ended the season with a superb performance at the London Archery Classic – Olympic Test Event. The Korean ladies proved as invincible as usual and won the women’s team gold medal. JUNG’s brilliant streak continued in the individual event, where she beat Justyna MOSPINEK (POL) 6-4 for the women's title. On her way to the final, JUNG had defeated Katsiaryna TIMOFEYEVA (BLR), the American teenager Miranda LEEK (USA) and her Korean teammate KI Bo Bae (KOR).   The young Korean archer finished the year as No. 1 of the World Ranking, ahead of teammates KI Bo Bae and HAN Gyeonghee. She has her sights set on Olympic participation in 2012. With respect to her prospects for the London Olympic Games, she said: "I am not 100% sure I will be part of the national team again next year. But if I am selected, based on this game I am confident that I can do very well. It would be so great to participate in the biggest sport event in the world!"   Biography Extract:   JUNG Dasomi (KOR) – Born 23 November 1990   1st Team London Archery Classic 2011 1st Individual London Archery Classic 2011 4th Individual Archery World Cup Final 2011 1st Team Summer Universiade 2011 2nd Individual Summer Universiade 2011 3rd Team World Championships Turin 2011 6th Individual World Championships Turin 2011 1st Team Archery World Cup Antalya 2011 1st Individual Archery World Cup Antalya 2011 1st Team Archery World Cup Porec 2011 1st Mixed Team Archery World Cup Porec 2011 3rd Individual Archery World Cup Porec 2011   Find more information on JUNG Dasomi (and all other archers) at the World Archery website.   World Archery Communication