Choi Yonghee Wins Bronze in Men's Compound Individual at Gwangju World Championships

A Dramatic One-Point Victory
First Medal for the Korean National Team

On the 8th, at the 5.18 Democracy Square of the National Asia Culture Center in Dong-gu, Gwangju, South Korea's Choi Yonghee is high-fiving coach Jung Eesoo during the men's compound individual semifinals of the 2025 World Archery Championships. Photo by Yonhap News

Choi Yonghee of Hyundai Steel secured third place in the men's compound individual event at the 2025 Gwangju World Archery Championships, earning the first medal for the Korean national team at this tournament.

On September 8, at the Gwangju International Archery Field, Choi Yonghee defeated Curtis Broadnax of the United States 146-145 in the bronze medal match on the fourth day of the competition.

Trailing by two points after the first end and by one point after the second end, Choi Yonghee landed a perfect 10 with his third arrow in the final fifth end, clinching a dramatic one-point victory and securing the bronze medal.

This is the first medal for the Korean archery team at this championship. The bronze medal is especially significant, as Choi Yonghee was the only member of the compound team to reach a medal-contending position.

This marks the first time in six years that Korean archery has won a medal in the men's compound individual event at the World Championships. Previously, the only medal in this category was a bronze won by Kim Jongho of Hyundai Steel at the 2019 World Championships in 's-Hertogenbosch.

Earlier, in the semifinals, Choi Yonghee lost to Nicolas Girard of France in a close match, 149-149<9-10>. Both Choi and Girard demonstrated incredible focus, hitting the 10-point mark with 14 out of 15 arrows in the regulation ends, and the outcome was decided only in the shoot-off. Girard went on to defeat Mathias Fullerton of Denmark 150-149 in the final to claim the championship.

In the quarterfinals, Choi Yonghee beat Yagiz Sezgin of T?rkiye 148-147. With Choi's bronze medal, the Korean compound team concluded its participation in the World Championships.

No Korean athletes advanced to the podium in the women's individual event. During the first and second rounds and the round of 32 held earlier that day, Han Seungyeon of Korea National Sport University and So Chaewon of Hyundai Mobis were eliminated in the round of 32, while Shim Suin of Changwon City Hall was knocked out in the second round.

Meanwhile, on September 6, all Korean teams were eliminated early in the men's, women's, and mixed team events.