Lim Sihyeon has made history by becoming the second archer ever to win four out of her first five stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup. This achievement was secured after defeating teammate Jeon Hunyoung in a tiebreak in Yecheon. The only other archer to accomplish a similar feat was Choi Misun, who managed to win six out of her first seven stages in 2015-2016.
Reflecting on her victory, Lim expressed feeling some pressure to win but tried to overcome it and enjoy the matches with her teammates. She mentioned the overwhelming support from Korean fans in attendance, which allowed her to enjoy the experience even more. The applause and encouragement from the spectators left Lim feeling happy and pleased with her performance.
The recurve finals in Yecheon both featured all-Korean matchups that were decided in shoot-offs. Lee Woo Seok emerged as the winner in the recurve men’s tiebreak by shooting a perfect 30 in the fifth set of his final against Kim Woojin. Lee managed to force an extra arrow and capitalized on a less-than-stellar shot from the three-time World Archery Champion to secure the victory. Lee expressed his enjoyment of competing against Kim and relished the experience.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Yildirmis clinched the recurve men’s bronze by defeating Vietnam’s Le Quoc Phong in a five-set match. This marked Yildirmis’ first individual podium finish of his career, and he humorously acknowledged that he still has some work to do to catch up to Olympic Champion Mete Gazoz. Yildirmis expressed his happiness at experiencing the podium feeling and received enthusiastic support from Mete and Turkish coach Goktug Ergin.
Alejandra Valencia secured the recurve women’s bronze, marking the fifth podium finish of her career. The Hyundai Archery World Cup is set to continue in Antalya next month for the third and final stage of 2024.
In conclusion, Lim Sihyeon’s achievement is truly remarkable as she has joined an elite group of archers who have won four out of their first five stages of this prestigious tournament.
Lee Woo Seok’s victory is also noteworthy as he was able to defeat Kim Woojin, one of Korea’s top archers, through a tiebreaker shoot-off.
Abdullah Yildirmis’ bronze medal is significant as it marks his first individual podium finish and he acknowledges that there is still work to be done before catching up with Olympic Champion Mete Gazoz.
Lastly, Alejandra Valencia’s bronze medal adds another impressive feather in her cap as she continues to make waves on the international stage.