Lee Woo-seok (29, Kolon X-Ten Boys) defended the pride of South Korean archery by winning the men's recurve individual event following his team victory, claiming his second gold medal of the competition.
Lee defeated Japan's Nakanishi Junya with a set score of 6-2 (29-26, 27-27, 29-29, 29-27) in the final of the archery men's recurve individual event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games multi-purpose ground at Okazaki Central Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (3rd), capturing the gold medal.
Having teamed up with Kim Woo-jin (34, Cheongju City Hall) and Kim Je-deok (22, Yecheon County Office) to win the gold medal in the men's team event the previous day, Lee secured his second title of the games.
Lee, a gold medalist in the men's team and mixed team events at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the men's team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, earned his first individual gold medal at a major international multi-sport competition.
As the only South Korean archer to advance to the quarterfinals, Lee drew his bow with unwavering momentum.
After defeating Kinley Tshering (Bhutan) 7-1 (29-27, 30-28, 28-28, 29-27) in the quarterfinals and Dhiraj Bommadevara (India) 7-3 (28-26, 28-28, 30-30, 29-29, 30-27) in the semifinals, he showed no hesitation in the final.
In the final, Lee opened the first set by hitting a 9 with his first arrow, followed by consecutive 10s to total 29 points, easily defeating Nakanishi, who managed 26 points, to take a 2-0 lead in set points.
In the second set, he wavered briefly with an 8 on his first arrow, but followed up with a 10 and a 9 for a total of 27. Nakanishi also shot three 9s (27 points), resulting in the two archers splitting a set point each to make it 3-1.
A fierce battle continued into the third set.
When Lee shot 29 points with two 10s and a 9, Nakanishi also recorded 29 points including two 10s, as both added 1 point each to bring the score to 4-2.
The match was decided in the fourth set.
Lee secured 20 points early by driving two consecutive 10s right into the center of the target.
With Nakanishi, who stepped up to the shooting line first, stalling at 27 points with three 9s, Lee was in a commanding position where even an 8 on his final arrow would secure the gold medal. He drove his final arrow into the 9-ring to seal a 6-2 victory and capture the title.
At the exact moment his victory was confirmed, Lee raised both arms and waved the Taegeukgi (South Korean national flag) in a celebratory performance, relishing the golden joy of triumph.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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