'This is a drama' South Korea's archery team came from behind to beat the Netherlands in a huge upset" to advance to the finals + one win left until the 10th consecutive defeat'!

Jul 28, 2024

Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.28/

Now, we have one step left until the 10th consecutive Olympics. South Korea's women's archery reached the final by writing a drama that turned the tables.

The women's national team, consisting of Lim Si-hyun (Korea National Sports University), Nam Soo-hyun (Suncheon City Hall), and Jeon Hoon-young (Incheon City Hall), defeated the Netherlands 6-4 (57-53 52-53 57-58 59-51 26-23) in the semifinals of the women's team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Lejean Ballid Stadium in Paris, France on the 28th (Korea time). South Korea has made it to the finals for 10 consecutive Olympics.

South Korea advanced directly to the quarterfinals by securing the No. 1 seed. In the ranking round held on the 25th, Lim Si-hyun (694 points), Nam Soo-hyun (688 points), and Jeon Hoon-young (664 points) scored a total of 2,046 points, breaking the Korean Olympic record (2032 points) set at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

In particular, Sim Ji-hyun's performance of 'Ace' was outstanding. Lim Si-hyun set a new world record of more than two points, exceeding the 692 points recorded by Kang Chae-young (Hyundai Mobis) in the 2019 World Championship qualifying round in the Netherlands. He also broke the Olympic record (680 points) set by Ansan (Gwangju Bank) at the Tokyo Olympics. Lim Si-hyun, who shot 72, hit 48 shots on the target of 10 points. The 21 shots were taken by Xsten (centre of 10 points).

Nam Soo-hyun finished the ranking round in second place and Jeon Hoon-young finished the ranking round in 13th place.

Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.28/

Korea's first opponent was Taiwan. Taiwan defeated the United States 5-1 (53-535-5254-48) in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals. The start was unsettling. In the first set, Jeon Hoon-hyun, the first runner, shot all eight points. Nam Soo-hyun and Lim Si-hyun both shot 9 points and finished the set with 52 points. However, Taiwan's last runner shot six points and won a lucky point.

He lost the second set to Taiwan. Jeon Hoon-young couldn't find his pace. It stayed at eight and seven points. Lim Si-hyun tried to change the trend by shooting 9 and 10 points, but stayed at 52 points. Taiwan scored 55 points with a stable bowstring, with only 10 shooting three times.

Three sets of destiny. Jeon Hoon-young was constantly shaken. He shot eight points again. But Taiwan made a big mistake. Runner two shot seven points. Jeon shot nine for the first time on the sixth shot. This time, Shim Do-hyun shot 10 points and 9 points to support him. With 54 points, South Korea beat Taiwan with 52 points.

South Korea found its pace in the fourth set. Jeon Hoon-young finally shot 10 points. Nam Soo-hyun also took the momentum and shot 10 points. Taiwan finished the fourth set with 54 points. South Korea scored 56 points, matching all three of its final shots to nine. He made it to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, South Korea finally showed their skills. The Netherlands was no match for South Korea. He was far ahead from the first set. Jeon Hoon-hyun, who was shaken in the match against Taiwan, found the pace by shooting the first two shots with nine points. Lim Si-hyun showed off his excellent condition of scoring 10 points in both shots. He scored 57 points to beat the Netherlands, who shot 53.

In the second set, the Netherlands shot 10, 10, and 7 points. South Korea, which followed Jeon Hoon-young with 10 points and Nam Soo-hyun with 8 points, brought the game to square one with Lim Si-hyun shooting the first eight points in the team event. The Netherlands finished the second set with 53 points, adding 26 points. Korea

He shot eight, eight, and nine points, staying at 52 points. Unfortunately, I had to give out the set.

Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.28/

In the third set, I lost unfortunately even though I shot well. South Korea shot 10, 10, and 9 points in the first three shots. The Netherlands also faced off with nine points, 10 points and nine points. The following three shots, South Korea scored an uneasy score with nine points and nine points, and Lim Si-hyun shot 10 points to finish the set with 57 points. But the Netherlands got a boost. He succeeded in turning the tables by shooting all three shots with 10 points. 58 points.

Four sets that end when you lose. The Taegeuk Women gained strength. Jeon Hoon-young, Nam Soo-hyun, and Lim Si-hyun all scored 10 points. The Netherlands had the first two shooting eight points. In fact, the game was decided. South Korea had the best 59 points of the two matches, scoring 10, 9 and 10 points in the remaining three shots. He shot four times just eight points, far exceeding the Netherlands, which had 51 points.

Now fate is up for grabs in the shoot-off. When Jeon Hoon-young shot nine points, the Netherlands' No. 1 runner remained at eight points. Nam Soo-hyun shot 10 points to dampen his spirits, and runner 2 stayed at 7 points. Shim Ji-hyun shot 7 points, but the last runner of the Netherlands stayed at 8 points and made it to the finals.

South Korea's women's archery is aiming for its 10th consecutive Olympic victory in this event. From the 1988 Seoul Games to the previous Tokyo Games, South Korea has won nine consecutive team gold medals. Now, if you win just one game, you will reach the unanswered mark.

vanbasten@sportschosun.com