Gwangju: South Korea's An San and Kim Woo-jin achieved a silver finish in the recurve mixed team event at the archery world championships held on home ground. The duo faced the Spanish team of Elia Canales and Andres Temino Mediel, losing 6-2 (36-35, 38-37, 36-38, 37-34) in the final match at May 18 Democracy Plaza, located 270 kilometers south of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, mixed team archery competitions involve each member shooting two arrows per set, with a total of four arrows and a maximum score of 40 points per team. Teams earn two points for a set win and one point each for a tie, with the objective to reach five points within four sets. The South Korean team started the first set with consecutive 8s and fell behind, losing it 36-35. An San opened the second set with another 8, allowing the Spanish team to claim it 38-37.
The South Koreans made a comeback in the third set, but their hopes were dashed when An San began the fourth set with a 7, failing to hit a 10 in the final. An San, a Gwangju native aged 24, rose to prominence after securing gold medals in the women's team, women's individual, and mixed team events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. This silver is An's second career world championships medal.
Kim Woo-jin, aged 33, boasts five Olympic gold medals, with three won at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the men's team, men's individual, and mixed team events. This silver adds to Kim's impressive tally of 12 world championships medals.
This event marked South Korea's first recurve medal at this year's world championships. The host nation also claimed a medal in the compound category, with Choi Yong-hee earning bronze in the men's individual event earlier in the week. Kim, along with teammates Lee Woo-seok and Kim Je-deok, will compete against the United States team in the men's team final later on Wednesday. Additionally, An, Lim Si-hyeon, and Kang Chae-young will challenge India's team for the women's team bronze medal match. The competition will conclude with the men's individual medal matches on Thursday, followed by the women's individual matches on Friday.