"The Wind Broke Our Spirits": South Korean Archery Laments as Kim Je-deok Says, "India Is No Sure Thing at the Olympics" [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] Even the leading athletes in this mental sport eventually bowed their heads before the fierce winds. South Korea's dream of winning the women's recurve team event for the eighth consecutive time at the Asian Games, extending a 28-year streak, was unfortunately blown away by the strong winds and the fierce challenge from rising powerhouse India. Although the South Korean archers had to settle for silver and bronze medals, they vowed to restore their honor in the remaining events without making excuses and with a clean acceptance of the results.
South Korea's women's recurve archery team, consisting of Kang Chae-young and Lee Yun-ji of Hyundai Mobis and Oh Ye-jin of Kwangju Bank, lost 3-5 to India in the final of the recurve team event at the 2026 Asian Games. The match, held on the 2nd at the multipurpose plaza in Okazaki Central General Park in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, featured a tense battle that ended in three tied sets. However, South Korea failed to take even one set and saw its streak of team-event victories, which had continued since the 1998 Bangkok Games, end at seven.
The players were troubled by powerful winds throughout the match. Kang Chae-young, the team's veteran, won a bronze medal in the mixed team event and a silver medal in the women's team event. Speaking in the mixed zone after the match, she candidly said, "I think the wind weakened me mentally much more than I expected, so it is very disappointing." Looking back on the mixed team event, she added, "I tried to think only about the arrows that landed in the 10-ring, but it is disappointing. Still, I am glad that Kim Je-deok and I worked well together and managed to win a bronze medal."
The younger athletes, who were competing on a major stage for the first time, also expressed deep disappointment. Lee Yun-ji vowed, "It was a disappointing match overall, but simply competing on such a major stage was a valuable experience. I will not become complacent and will continue to improve." Oh Ye-jin added, "It is disappointing that I could not quickly break free from the confusion caused by the wind, but I am grateful for the result."

Kim Je-deok of Yecheon County Office wavered in the semifinal after shooting two 7s, but he won the bronze-medal match against Japan and made no excuses. "My performance was far below what I had prepared for, and I wanted the sparkling medal—the gold medal. Still, having one is better than having none," he said. He credited his partner, adding, "I was grateful that Kang Chae-young comforted me." Regarding the mistakes caused by the strong winds, he responded calmly, "Athletes must do their best in any environment, so I will accept the result without making excuses."
The biggest upset in archery at these Games has been India's rapid rise. By that day, India had captured four of the 10 gold medals in archery, sweeping the men's and women's compound team events, the compound mixed team event, and the women's recurve team event. South Korea, the world's leading archery nation, had won only one gold medal.
However, Kim Je-deok remained determined and delivered a pointed warning to India, which has been surging. "The Asian Games are just the Asian Games, and I cannot guarantee that India's athletes will show the same flawless performance at the Olympics," he said. He then drew a firm line in the sand, declaring, "Our athletes have been preparing resolutely, so we will definitely restore our pride in the remaining events."
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