Much work goes into setting order for archery events

LONDON (Yonhap News) ― Archery seems to be a fairly straightforward sport: see target, hit target. Score more points than your opponent, and you’re declared the winner.

But when it comes to team competitions, the story gets a bit more complicated.

Each nation sends three archers to team events. They each fire per end, an equivalent of a set, for six arrows per team in each end. They compete in four ends for 24 arrows in total. And South Korean archers and coaches said on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the practice for the upcoming London Olympics, the order in which shooters take to the line can go as far as determining the color of the medal.

The South Korean men have won the past three Olympic team gold medals, and the women’s team has claimed the past six Olympic titles. It’s not as though these archers need much more help, but improved performances by rival countries have prompted South Koreans to search for an extra edge.

The South Korean men’s team will be anchored by Oh Jin-hyek, the oldest member, and either Im Dong-hyun, the two-time Olympic champ, or Kim Bub-min, an Olympic neophyte, will lead off.

The women’s order is virtually set, with veteran Lee Sung-jin leading off, followed by Choi Hyun-joo and Ki Bo-bae, the proverbial ace.

Coaches said the first archer should be the quick and accurate shooter who leaves teammates with plenty left on the 30-second shot clock and puts the team ahead early. The first shooter, ideally, should also be the sensitive type who can gauge the direction and speed of the wind and share the information with teammates.

The final shooter is akin to an anchor on a swimming or track relay teams. The last one is expected to slam the door shut on opponents when in the lead, and to make up ground when trailing.

Team contests often come down to the final archer needing to shoot a perfect 10 for the victory.

Teams often stick the least experienced archer in the middle, flanked by veterans.

Oh Seon-tek, the coach of the men’s squad, said many different factors go into setting the lineup.

“We study archers’ temperaments,” Oh said. “But we also look into statistics and see which combinations have produced more points in different competitions and practices.”