KOREAN FINAL SELECTION BEGINS

The increasingly public circus that is the national Korean selection trials got underway in Gwangju, Korea on 20 March, on the same range that will host World Cup events and the World Championships in 2025.

The selection process started in late 2021, and 107 archers have made it through to the final stage of selection, which will be cut to 28 archers including compound and recurve teams, who will then live and train at the Jincheon national training centre for the duration of the outdoor season.

The contenders include triple Olympic gold medallist An San, three-time World Champion Kim Woojin, teenage wunderkind Kim Je Deok and Olympic champions Chang Hyejin and Ki Bo Bae, the latter attempting a comeback. Veteran Oh Jin Hyek, who collected another Olympic gold in 2021, has also delayed his retirement further and is attempting to make the squad.

For the Korean national team, the most important competition is the Asian Games, taking place in China in September.