0
Kim Je-deok (second from right) and Lee Woo-seok (far right) roar in celebration as their fellow South Korean national archery team senior Kim Woo-jin (far left) shoots a 10 against India in the men's recurve team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Okazaki Central General Park Multi-Purpose Ground in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 2nd. / Yonhap

South Korean men's archery claimed victory in the recurve team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, upholding its pride as the world's best.

South Korea—fielding Kim Woo-jin (34, Cheongju City Hall), Lee Woo-seok (29, Kolon), and Kim Je-deok (22, Yecheon County Office)—defeated India with a set score of 5-1 (56-56, 57-50, 56-54) in the men's recurve team final held at the Okazaki Central General Park Multi-Purpose Ground in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 2nd to take the top spot on the podium.

Kim Woo-jin, a member of the winning team at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, combined efforts with his younger teammates to capture gold once again after 16 years. Lee Woo-seok and Kim Je-deok, champions of the 2022 Hangzhou Games, secured their second consecutive team gold medal.

The gold medal produced by the trio marks the second gold for South Korean archery at this tournament. The first gold was claimed the previous day by Kim Jong-ho (32, Hyundai Steel) in the men's individual compound event.

Having swept Taiwan 6-0 (57-54, 55-53, 58-55) in the semifinals to reach the final, South Korea faced India shooting in the order of Lee Woo-seok, Kim Je-deok, and Kim Woo-jin. After tying the first set, South Korea successfully shifted momentum by hitting three straight 10s to open the second set. In the third set, with the score tied at 28-28, South Korea began seizing control as India's fourth arrow landed on a 7. Subsequently, with India held to 54 points, Lee Woo-seok hit a 10, followed by 9s from Kim Je-deok and Kim Woo-jin in turn, locking in 56 points to clinch the gold medal.

In recurve team archery, scores from two arrows shot by each archer per set are combined. The team winning a set receives two points, while a tie awards one point to each side.

                                                                                                           Cho Seong-jun