Jang Minhee wasted no time settling into the World Cup scene as she emphatically took top seed in recurve women at the second stage of the 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit in Shanghai.
The Yankton 2021 World Archery Champion headed a Korean one-two-three-four in qualification but sat outside the top five at the halfway stage with 328, occupying the lowest position among the formidable Korean quartet – which, remarkably, does not include the two previous Olympic Champions Sihyeon Lim and An San.
In the second half, however, Minhee’s quality came to the fore as she placed 22 arrows into the 10-ring, including five Xs – the X-ring being the central zone within the 10-ring used to break ties in qualification – in the final end, to open a four-point gap over second-placed Oh Yejin and finish on 674.
“I took first place in qualification at my first World Cup appearance, so obviously I’m very happy,” said Minhee, who narrowly missed out on Korea’s Asian Games squad in last month’s trials. “I was thinking, ‘Since this is the last round, let’s finish it off well and have fun.’”
“I didn’t care much about the wind, I just believed in myself and tried to do my best. I focused on my aiming and the result was good.”
Although the second-oldest member of Korea’s women’s team – two years younger than 29-year-old Kang Chaeyoung, who also shot 670 but with fewer Xs than Yejin – Minhee is among the quieter personalities on the squad and did not dwell long on her performance at Yuanshen Sports Centre, instead quietly enjoying the moment.
It almost seemed as though she expected a result like this on her World Cup debut despite her lack of experience on the international circuit.
Arriving in Shanghai after falling short in the Asian Games trials may also have provided additional motivation and, judging by the way Minhee mastered the unpredictable gusts inside the stadium venue rather than faded under pressure, her composure already makes her the archer to beat in recurve women.
