Gwangju: The host nation, South Korea, secured the gold medal in the recurve men's team event at the World Archery Championships. Kim Woo-jin, Lee Woo-seok, and Kim Je-deok triumphed over the United States team, consisting of Trenton Cowles, Brady Ellison, and Christian Stoddard, with a score of 6-0 (56-55, 57-55, 59-56) in the final held at May 18 Democracy Plaza in Gwangju, located 270 kilometers south of Seoul. This victory marks South Korea's third consecutive world title in the men's team category, with the same trio having previously won the 2024 Olympic gold in Paris.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this achievement also represents South Korea's first gold medal at the competition. Earlier on the same day, Kim Woo-jin and An San earned a silver medal in the mixed team event. In recurve team events, each archer shoots two arrows per set, totaling six arrows with a maximum score of 60 points per set for each team. Teams gain two points for a set win and one point for a tie, aiming to reach five points first.

South Korea managed to overcome an 8 by Lee to win the first set 56-55, with all three archers scoring 10s in the second set, resulting in a 57-55 victory. The final set saw the Americans predominantly hitting 9s, allowing South Korea to seal the win with five 10s and a score of 59-56.

In the mixed team final, An and Kim were defeated by Spain's Elia Canales and Andres Temino Mediel 6-2 (36-35, 38-37, 36-38, 37-34). In mixed team archery, each team member takes two arrows per set, with a maximum score of 40 points per team. Two points are awarded for a set win, and teams receive one point each for a tie, aiming to reach five points within four sets.

The South Korean duo began poorly with consecutive 8s and lost the first set 36-35. An's additional 8 in the second set allowed Spain to take it 38-37. Despite recovering in the third set, South Korea's chances were dashed when An began the fourth set with a 7, failing to hit a 10 in the final.

South Korea's impressive streak of seven consecutive world titles in the mixed team competition came to an end on Wednesday. However, later that day, An, Lim Si-hyeon, and Kang Chae-young claimed the bronze medal in the women's team event by defeating India's Ankita Bhakat, Gatha Anandrao Khadake, and Deepika Kumari 5-3 (54-51, 57-57, 54-57, 58-56).

Since debuting at the world championships in 1979, this marks only the third occasion that South Korea did not reach the final in the women's recurve team event. The competition continues with the men's individual medal matches scheduled for Thursday, followed by the women's individual medal matches on Friday, the final day of the event.