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Korean archers are known to be among the best in the world. The competition to become a national archer is so fierce that even a Rio Olympics gold medalist failed to make the cut.
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These three female archers won the group competition at the Rio Olympics last year.
They tried hard to make the cut into the World Cup national team. Chang Hye-jin and Choi Mi-seon, who won two medals at the Rio Olympics, finished third. Ki Bo-bae seized the final fourth ticket by receiving 0.99 points more than her rival.
[Soundbite] Ki Bo-bae(Nat’l Archery Team) : "I was nervous to compete with my teammates. I prayed earnestly that I would pass."
In the men's competition, Kim Woo-jin was the only one among the three Rio Olympics medalists to advance into the national team. Eight male and female archers who passed the first and second qualifying rounds competed with the national team last year. But only half of them made the cut. In the recent two rounds, only four athletes advanced into the next round. One of them will be eliminated after three World Cup competitions.
[Soundbite] Kim Woo-jin(Nat’l Archery Team) : "The pressure grows because I have to compete with better archers each time. But that's what makes the Korean archery team so strong."
The archers in the national team who have passed the second qualifying round will begin yet another round of fierce competitions starting at the first World Cup competition slated for next month.
