Two 6-2 wins over China’s Huang Yuwei and Li Jiaman – both members of the gold medal women’s team at Central Florida 2025 – suggested that destiny was on her side. After struggling for individual wins at Hyundai Archery World Cup stages this year, the 24-year-old looked back to her Tokyo 2020 best.
But her Olympic teammate had other ideas.
Kang’s nickname, The Destroyer – earned when she became the first woman to break 690 points across 72 arrows – proved fitting as she crushed her compatriot’s hopes.
An San had led 4-0 in their semifinal before the home support became a distraction. She admitted afterwards that the raised noise after the second end pulled her out of focus.
“I couldn’t focus on myself, but after the match I tried to not care about losses, just thinking about myself,” she said, explaining how she managed the distraction better in her 6-4 bronze medal victory over Diananda Choirunisa.
A windless, overcast day in southern Korea made for near-perfect shooting conditions, but the invaluable archery element of single-mindedness deserted An San – something that the legendary Ki Bo Bae, watching on from the commentary booth, had in abundance during her heyday.
The London 2012 Olympic Champion has been providing Korean commentary all week – and there was no better audience for Kang to showcase her talent in front of. She shot four 29s and a perfect 30 against Zhu in the final, winning 7-3, even if she hadn’t realised who was watching.
“I didn’t even know she [Ki Bo Bae] was watching my game, but after the games, during the ceremony, I noticed,” said Kang. “I’m really happy that she was watching and showing up for me.”
The recurve women’s final closed the 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships in Gwangju.
You can rewatch all compound and recurve finals with a subscription to archery+.
