(Asiad) Indian archers end South Korea's recurve reign; Oh Ye-jin vows to grow from losses

OKAZAKI, Japan, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- For over a half-century, South Korea had been a dominant force in recurve archery at international competitions, with its women's archers consistently claiming gold medals since the inaugural event in 1978. However, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, their reign came to an end as Indian archers claimed victories in both the women's team and individual recurve categories.

In the women's team final, South Korea's team of Oh Ye-jin, Kang Chae-young, and Lee Yun-ji lost 5-3 to India. In the women's individual final, Oh also lost to Kumkum Anil Mohod in a shoot-off, where she scored an 8 to Mohod's 10. The team's loss, combined with Kang's earlier defeat to Mohod in the quarterfinals, left the South Korean athletes feeling a heavy sense of responsibility to defend their seventh consecutive team gold at the Asian Games.

Indian archery had clearly improved since the early days, as Kang acknowledged after the quarterfinal match. Nevertheless, Oh expressed her determination to learn from her losses, promising herself to simplify her approach and build upon her years of effort. Despite the setbacks, she remained confident that future competitions would provide opportunities for South Korea to regain its top position in Asian archery.