CHOI Yong Hee wins Korea its first compound men’s gold on World Cup tour

The nation made its compound debut on the World Cup tour at the start of 2013 and while the women already found medal success – CHOI Bomin won Shanghai to start the year – the men hadn’t.

Just making the gold medal match was enough for CHOI: “the medal is just a bonus!”

Two ends in to the 15-arrow match, CHOI Yong Hee was already five points up his Indian opponent. Rajat CHAUHAN recovered over the back nine, shooting two perfect 30-point ends – but the deficit was too large.

As the commentator announced the victory, CHOI threw his hands up and hat in the air.

“It went really smoothly,” he said after the match. “I used a trigger release because of the wind, although I normally use a back tension. It just depends on the situation.”

More than anything, with Korea’s team preparing for the first ever compound event at the Asian Games – one of the single largest multisport events in the world – CHOI’s gold medal at Antalya is boost in confidence. 

Reigning World Champion Mike SCHLOESSER beat Italian double-World Cup Final winner Sergio PAGNI to compound men’s bronze with an impressive 147/150 match score. Mike already won team gold for the Netherlands this morning.

Competition at the third 2014 Archery World Cup stage in Antalya runs from 11-15 June. Check scores, event news and visit World Archery’s Facebook page and @worldarchery on Twitter for coverage.