South Korean Archer Lee Woo-seok Wins First Individual Gold at Asian Games
Lee Woo-seok triumphs in the men's individual recurve final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after previous disappointments.
Quick Look
South Korean archer Lee Woo-seok won gold in the men's individual recurve event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Okazaki, Japan, defeating Japan's Junya Nakanishi.
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Why It Matters
Lee Woo-seok previously won silver at the 2018 Asian Games and bronze at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games in the individual event.
By Kim Boram
OKAZAKI, Japan, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- Archer Lee Woo-seok had longed for a gold medal in the individual event since he first competed at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
There, he won two silvers in the men's team and individual events.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, Lee won two gold medals in the men's team and mixed team recurve events, while taking bronze in the men's individual event.
Three years later, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he finally fulfilled his wish after beating Junya Nakanishi of Japan in the final of the men's individual recurve event.
"I'm glad that I finally found the last piece of the puzzle that I've wished for most," Lee said.
Recalling his silver and bronze medal-winning performances at the previous Asian Games, he said he had been disappointed with himself.
"They were both disappointing. At the Hangzhou Games, I was leading the final but lost in a shoot-off," he said. "Ahead of today's final, I tried to think of myself and my arrows and convince myself that I can win if I do as I usually do."
For his long-cherished goal, Lee's teammates Kim Je-deok and Kim Woo-jin also played a role. The three archers teamed up to win the gold medal in the men's team recurve event the previous day.
"I asked Je-deok and Woo-jin to help me for the individual final after the team event. I trained with those world-class archers," said Lee, who was the only South Korean archer to compete in the quarterfinals of the individual event.
The three also won the men's team gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the final, Lee shot an 8 in the second set after his Japanese opponent hit a 9, leaving him shaken and more tense.
At that moment, he heard a voice shouting from the athletes' seats behind him, "Never mind! Shoot as you do! It was just wind."
"I was so nervous that I couldn't distinguish who it was, but I thought it was one of them," Lee said. "That advice helped me get focused again."
For his gold-medal performance, Lee gave himself 120 points out of 100, up sharply from the 80 points he gave himself three years ago.
"For me, I'll give 120," he said, laughing. "But I'll enjoy this moment until tonight, and I'll work hard again from tomorrow."
