World record holder Kim Woojin and Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin took recurve men’s and women’s gold medals at the first stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit in Shanghai, securing invitations to the series final in Samsun at the end of the season and completing a clean sweep of the five recurve titles at the tournament for Korea.
“I knew I had to shoot a 10 to win, I believed in my performance and it’s routine in practice in Korea,” said world number one Chang Hye Jin.
Up against China’s An Qixuan making her international debut at her home event in the gold medal match, the 30-year-old was sublime.
She dropped two points in three sets to take the match 6-0, and posted possibly the single best recurve group ever filmed. In the second set, Hye Jin landed all three of her arrows in the X-ring in a group measuring no more than three centimetres, side-to-side.
“The most important event is the Asian Games this year. This is a very good opportunity ahead of that and I would like to win at every World Cup,” she added.
Chang’s male world number one counterpart, partner in the mixed team final in Shanghai (where the pair also took gold) and recurve men’s top seed Kim Woojin wasn’t quite as impressive – but looked confident and relaxed when he shot his final against Brady Ellison.
Woojin took the first set, 28-26, and the pair split the second with 28s and third with 29s.
Brady then left the two-time World Archery Champion needing a nine with his last arrow to take the match, and Woojin shot a 10.
“I’m very happy because I have qualified for the World Cup Final and only the top archers will be there; I will practice to come out on top,” said Kim.
“I look out for Brady because I believe he is a big rival. I think the competition drives both of us to improve, and I put a lot of energy into that match.”
Brady called Woojin ‘the best that’s ever been’ in a pre-match interview.
“I don’t think I am the best yet, but when my archery career is over I want to have been the best in history.”
Earlier in the competition week in Shanghai, Kim had said that there would be no repeat of his 2017 performance, when he left the city with three silver medals.
He was right; he’ll leave Shanghai with three golds this time around.
Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Champion, also from Korea, Lee Woo Seok won the recurve men’s bronze medal.
With the clean-sweep of the recurve titles and Kim Jongho’s individual compound men’s win, Korea totalled six gold medals and 10 total in Shanghai 2018 to lead the medal table.
The first stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup took place in Shanghai, China on 23-29 April; the second stage starts in Antalya, Turkey on 20 May.
