Choi Bomin surges to Shanghai pole with 358-point back half

Korea’s Choi Bomin, a former team world champion recurver, topped compound women’s qualification at the first stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai, China with 702 points, ahead of Jamie van Natta and Yesim Bostan and reigning World Archery Champion Song Yun Soo who all had 700.

“At the start, I couldn’t focus because I was worrying about the wind. For the second half, I decided to only think about my technique and performance,” said Bomin. 

The 33-year-old had the top score on the field for the second 36 arrows with 358/360, more than all the men, too.

A silver medallist at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final and World Archery Championships in 2007 shooting a recurve, Bomin said she enjoyed the challenge of compound as she felt there was still better scores and tighter groups she could achieve.

“When I was shooting recurve, I was confident and I shot well. With compound, we started with low scores – but still keep on improving,” she explained. 

“This is the first time I’ve shot a good score.”

Bomin won the Shanghai stage in 2014 when Colombia’s Sara Lopez had a problem with her peepsight in the gold medal match and missed the target; remembering that match, she said:

“Four years ago, I got a gold medal but I wasn’t happy to win like that; I was crying. I’m back and, if I make the final again, I want to shoot well and win properly.”

Lopez, the world record holder who was also celebrating her birthday on compound ranking round day in Shanghai, seeded 24th.

World number one Sarah Sonnichsen was 38th.

“I’m not shooting my best right now, working on my technique, I just changed arrows and I’m struggling, and I’m just a big mess with my life and now with jetlag,” she explained. 

“The score wasn’t good but this is still one my better recent qualifications.”

So Chaewon, Chen Yi-Hsuan, Chau Kieu Oanh and Toja Ellison rounded out the compound women’s receiving a top-eight bye.

Korea – Choi, Song and So – also seeded first as a team.

The first stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place in Shanghai, China on 23-29 April.

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