Armed with higher self-esteem, archer marks return to nat'l team with world title

GWANGJU — Back on the national team after missing out on the Olympics last year, South Korean archer Kang Chae-young marked her return with her first individual world title Friday. The 29-year-old said the time away from the grind of competing for the one of the world's premier archery powerhouses did wonders for her confidence and self-esteem. Kang defeated Zhu Jingyi of China 7-3 (29-29, 29-28, 29-29, 30-30, 29-28) at the May 18 Democracy Plaza in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on the final day of the 2025 World Archery Championships. In individual recurve matches, archers each shoot three arrows per set, for a maximum score of 30 points. They earn two points for a set win and one point for a tie. The goal is to score six points first. In the nailbiting contest, both Kang and Zhu shot nothing but 9s and 10s. Kang punctuated her victory with a 10 with her final arrow, her 11th of the final. "I was so nervous and I didn't think I was going to shoot so many 10s," Kang said with a smile. "I tried to stay locked in until the end and I got it done." This was Kang's fifth world champWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times