Despite an early exit in the individual event, Kim Woojin delivered outstanding performances to help Korea secure gold in both the recurve men’s team and mixed team competitions at the third stage of the 2025 Hyundai World Cup in Antalya.
All-time great Woojin defeated Germany twice in the finals – first with fellow Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallists Lee Woo Seok and Kim Je Deok in a men’s team shoot-off, then shortly after partnering Olympic Champion Lim Sihyeon to overcome Katharina Bauer and Florian Unruh in the mixed team event, 6-2.
The victories came after Woojin’s surprise second-round loss to Andres Temino Mediel in the men’s individual matches. The defending Hyundai Archery World Cup Final Champion showed that was a minor setback in an otherwise stellar record, impressing everyone at Antalya Beach Park with his resilience.
“Even though the rules have been changed for Antalya, the results were good. So maybe if the rules are changed also for the Olympic and Asian Games, it’s been a great opportunity to get used to it,” Woojin said, reflecting on the week’s new competition format.
“Sports are unpredictable, this is why people are interested in archery. It happened [the individuals loss], but I’m going to make sure it never happens again.”
On Sunday, Woojin’s shooting was markedly improved from the previous day, despite having less rest. Across 17 arrows in the two finals, he scored seven 10s, five 11s and five nines, averaging an impressive 10.00 points in the men’s team and 9.88 in the mixed team.
