In spite of a surprise shoot-off call, An San’s eight was enough to halt Hsu Hsin-tzu and secure the recurve women’s trophy at the Nanjing 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final.
The Korean initially celebrated at the end of the fifth set, believing her three nines in the constant Chinese rain had sealed victory as Chinese Taipei’s Hsu dropped 10, eight and nine while trailing 5-3.
That appeared to make the final score 6-4 – and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion’s second circuit Final win – but target judge Laura Lynne Churchill, magnifying glass in hand, deemed Hsu’s second arrow to have just clipped the nine line, upgrading her end to 10,nine and nine and tying the contest at 5-5.
As An San went from thanking fans at the Nanjing Olympic Museum to staring in disbelief, the smile was wiped from her face.
Her next arrow, an eight, drew gasps from the crowd and briefly opened the door for 17-year-old Hsu to become Chinese Taipei’s first Archery World Cup Champion. Had An San blown it?
Luckily for the Korean star, her opponent’s final arrow landed low in the seven, confirming the victory.
“I’ve been to two World Cup Finals and I’ve won twice. I’m so happy,” said An San, whose first title came at Tlaxcala 2022. “This is the last tournament of the year, so I’m very happy to win.”
“I don’t have any other chances, so this World Cup Final was my last opportunity. I was like, ‘Got it. I’ve got it.’”
The drama at the target felt like déjà vu after what happened in Gwangju at this year’s Hyundai World Archery Championships – An San’s hometown.
