Archers miss gold by a whisker

Amid thunderous cheers from teammates and spectators, South Korea clinched its 10th consecutive Olympic gold in women's team archery, defeating China 5-4 in a gripping final on Sunday in Paris.

However, amidst the celebrations, one Korean stood wiping away in tears of a different kind. Kwon Yong-hak, coach of the China women's archery team, was visibly emotional as his charges narrowly lost their tense shoot-off.

Despite China finishing just one step away from the title, the South Korean trio had to overcome a stout challenge, after leading in the first two rounds. Chinese archers Yang Xiaolei, Li Jiaman, and An Qixuan managed to close the gap, tying the score at 4-4 and forcing the match to a three-arrow shoot-off. In the decisive round, each athlete from both teams shoots one arrow.

South Korea started strong, with the first arrow just shaving the ring of the target for a 10, while Chinese archer Li shot an eight. Korea's second was a nine, but up stepped 24-year-old Yang, and casually, seemingly with ice in her veins, fired it straight down the middle to hit dead center.

But, after An shot a nine and the final Korean arrow, again, grazed the 10-point line — so closely it had to be checked with a magnifying glass — China ultimately fell agonizingly short, losing 27-29.

Yang thought that the Koreans were more comprehensive, "but we keep focusing on what we do. We have already proved a lot by taking the match to 4-4 and forcing the shoot-off. So, we already feel good about it".

"Our coach told us to be ourselves. It doesn't matter what score our opponent shot, and it doesn't matter who the opponent is, we have to really bring our best game and to put up the best score we can," Yang said.

Archers from South Korea have shown unwavering dominance in the event since it was introduced to the Olympics at Seoul 1988. They have now won 18 of 19 gold medals in women's archery since competing as host at that Games.

The only exception was when China's Zhang Juanjuan won the individual event at Beijing 2008.

China stands second in the overall medal table for women's team archery, having secured silver medals in 1992, 2004, 2008, and 2012. The runner-up finish in Paris adds another silver to that impressive tally, and marks the closest China has come yet to dethroning its Asian neighbor and clinching gold.

At the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese women's archery team struggled, losing to Belarus in the round of 16 and missing out on the quarterfinals. However, in the Paris cycle, new coach Kwon joined the team and revitalized it with innovative training methods and strategies, significantly enhancing its performance.

Kwon, a former national archery champion in South Korea, transitioned to coaching after retiring from competition. Since 2006, he has spent his summers in China, coaching the Jiangsu archery team, later working with teams in Xinjiang, Shandong and Shanghai. To better communicate with his athletes, Kwon taught himself Chinese.

Before the Paris Olympics, Kwon shared with Beijing Youth Daily: "If I were coaching in South Korea, leading a team to the Olympics would be impossible. I am very grateful for this opportunity and cherish it deeply."

Kwon often reminds his athletes that "overall, the South Korean team is undoubtedly stronger; that's an objective reality. But, it doesn't mean they are invincible. Each time you compete against them, you learn something and become stronger. When the opportunity to win comes, we will seize it."

Under Kwon's guidance, the Chinese women's archery team has made remarkable progress during the current Olympic cycle. It secured victories against South Korea in this year's World Cup events in Shanghai and Yecheon, South Korea.

Among the three team members, only Yang has prior Olympic experience. In June, she clinched the individual gold medal at World Cup event in Antalya, Turkiye.

"The team played hard and showed a tenacious spirit during the competition," Kwon said. "We will not give up. Let's keep pushing forward. Next Olympics, we must strive to defeat them."

liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn