Lim beats Korean team captain to take fourth World Cup stage win

Lim Sihyeon has become only the second archer in history to win four of their first five stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup after beating teammate Jeon Hunyoung in a tiebreak in Yecheon.

Choi Misun, who was on the Korean team last year, won six of her first seven stages in 2015-2016.

“I felt pressure to win,” said Lim afterwards. “But I tried to get over it and enjoy the matches with my teammates. There was a lot of Korean people in attendance to cheer me on so I could enjoy it more.”

“They applauded so much. I’m happy and pleased.”

Both recurve finals in Yecheon were all-Korean affairs. Both went to shoot-offs. Both were won with a 10.

It was Lee Woo Seok on the winning end of the recurve men’s tiebreak.

He shot a perfect 30 in the fifth set of his final against Kim Woojin to force the extra arrow and jumped on a less-than-stellar sudden-death delivery from the three-time World Archery Champion.

“It was a very tight match,” said Lee. “I enjoy shooting against him a lot.”

Lee and Kim won the recurve men’s team gold medal together, with Yecheon local Kim Je Deok, earlier today at the Jinho International Archery Field – but Lim, Jeon and Nam Suhyeon were upset by China for the second consecutive event.

Recurve men’s bronze went to Abdullah Yildirmis.

A key member of Olympic Champion Mete Gazoz’s Turkish team that was a surprise finalist at the last world championships, 20-year-old Yildirmis’ five-set win over Vietnam’s Le Quoc Phong delivered the first individual podium of his career.

“There are still things to do for me to catch Mete,” he joked after collecting his medal. “At least now I can say that I’ve caught the feeling. Now I know how he feels. I’m so happy about this.”

Mete and Turkish coach Goktug Ergin leapt in celebration when Yildirmis won.

Alejandra Valencia’s bronze in the recurve women’s event is the fifth of her career.

The Hyundai Archery World Cup moves to Antalya next month for the third and last stage of 2024.