Yun Ok-Hee (left) and Park Sung-Hyun in training. (Photo credit: Xinhua)
(BEIJING, August 6) — The Republic of Korea has won all five Women’s Archery titles since the Team competition format was first included in the Olympic Games 20 years ago, and is again expected to be the team to beat at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Winner of the individual title at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Park Sung-Hyun leads the national team. Park is ranked No. 2 in the world behind teammate Yun Ok-Hee. Both Park and Yun hold world records.
China is again expected to provide the ROK women with stiff competition. The ROK women beat China in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games on the last arrow of the competition. China is led by Zhang Juanjuan, the winner of the 2006 World Cup Final in Merida, Mexico.
Fourth in the Athens Games, Chinese Taipei has emerged as a real threat in Beijing. At the Leipzig 2007 World Championships, Chinese Taipei took the silver medal, losing to the powerful ROK women in the final.
Other strong medal contenders in the Women’s Team event include Great Britain and Poland. Allison Williamson (GBR), who won the bronze medal at the Athens Games, should play a major role for the British.
Poland, the current European champion, fields Justyna Mospinek, one of four archers set to attend the Archery World Cup Final later this year.
The ROK Men’s Team seeks to win its fourth Olympic Gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Winner of the individual title at the Leipzig 2007 World Championships, Im Dong-Hyun leads the men’s team.
Joining Im is Park Kyung-Mo who was the individual winner of the Antalya 1993 World Championships and the 2006 World Cup Final. Im and Park also competed in the ROK team at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
Two other teams expected to fight for medals are Great Britain and Chinese Taipei, having won silver and bronze respectively at the 2007 World Championships.
Simon Terry (GBR), winner of the Individual and Team Bronze medal for Great Britain at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, is expected to play a major role for the British after a 16-year absence from the Games.
The United States of America is aiming for a podium finish in Beijing after narrowly missing out on a bronze medal at the Athens Games, where it lost to the Ukraine by two points on the final arrow of competition.
Returning to the Olympics for the fifth time is Richard Johnson (USA), who won the Team gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Johnson and Victor Wunderle (USA) won the Team bronze medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
In the Women’s Individual event, Natalia Valeeva (ITA) is expected to challenge the ROK and Chinese archers for a medal.
At 39, Valeeva is one of the eldest archers in these, her fifth Olympic Games. The reigning world champion won the 2008 World Cup Stage in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and is ranked No. 3 in the world.
Other potential medalists include Natalya Erdyniyeva (RUS), Dola Banerjee (IND), and Jennifer Nichols (USA). Banerjee was the winner of the the 2007 World Cup Final in Dubai.
Marco Galiazzo (ITA) will be under pressure to defend his Men’s Individual gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games while a serious threat to ROK’s archers is Baljinima Tsyrempilov, the winner of four individual European championships, including this year’s championships.
Tsyrempilov won the gold medal at the 2007 World Cup Final in Dubai and is currently ranked No. 2 in the world.
Other potential medalists include Romain Girouille (FRA), Alan Wills (GBR), and Kim Ha-Neul (AUS). Kim won the 2007 Good Luck Beijing Test Event.
(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)