"India took archery's overall No. 1 spot, but..." Lee Woo-seok single-handedly saves K-archery amid its worst humiliation [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] As the fortress of Republic of Korea archery came crashing down, ace Lee Woo-seok, 29, of Kolon Xtenboiz, fought almost single-handedly to preserve the sport's last remaining pride. But Republic of Korea archery, long regarded as the world's strongest, suffered the humiliation of surrendering the Asian Games' overall No. 1 spot after being swept away by the fierce sandstorm raised by rising powerhouse India.
Lee Woo-seok defeated Japan's Junya Nakanishi 6-2 in set points (29-26, 27-27, 29-29, 29-27) in the men's recurve individual final at the 2026 Asian Games, held on the 3rd at the multipurpose plaza of Okazaki Central Comprehensive Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, to win the gold medal.
After teaming up with Kim Woo-jin of Cheongju City Hall and Kim Je-deok of Yecheon County Office to win gold in the men's team event the previous day, Lee Woo-seok became a double gold medalist at these Games. Although he had consistently led his teams to gold at major competitions such as the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics, he had been unable to win an individual gold medal. He finally ended that drought with his first individual title at an international multisport event.

Lee Woo-seok, the only Republic of Korea athlete to reach the quarterfinals, shot with relentless precision. After defeating athletes from Bhutan and India in succession in the quarterfinals and semifinals, he displayed overwhelming skill against Japan's Nakanishi in the final.
He opened the first set with a 9, then hit two consecutive 10s to take an early 29-26 lead. In the second and third sets, both sides traded one set point apiece after tightly contested shooting, allowing Lee to maintain a 4-2 lead. The match was decided in the fourth set. Lee struck two consecutive 10s in the center of the target to secure 20 points early, while Nakanishi managed only 27 after shooting three 9s. With an 8 on his final arrow enough to clinch the title, Lee calmly fired a 9 to close out the match 29-27 and raise both arms in triumph.

Despite Lee Woo-seok's victorious roar, the reality facing Republic of Korea archery was painful. Earlier that day, Oh Ye-jin of Kwangju Bank settled for silver in the women's individual event, leaving the Republic of Korea with no gold medal among its women athletes for the first time in Asian Games history.
The most shocking development was the overall archery ranking. India, which surged dramatically at these Games, swept five golds, two silvers and two bronzes across the compound and recurve events, pushing aside the Republic of Korea to claim the overall No. 1 spot in a major upset. The Republic of Korea finished with a lackluster record of three golds, three silvers and three bronzes—Lee Woo-seok's two golds and Kim Jong-ho's gold in the men's compound individual event—and now faces a stern test to overhaul its system.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter