Why not the men?

A gold medal was so close but yet so far away.

The men's archery team folded again after making an impressive stand. After the preliminary round, Korean men ranked number 1, 2 and 3, creating hopes that they would win the first gold medal in the men's individual archery event. However, in the end, not one Korean archer reached the semi-finals, dashing any hopes for a gold.

Compared to the women's team, which has achieved 5 straight individual golds and 3 consecutive golds in the team event, the men have only won one gold medal in the history of the Olympics (team event in 1988). There is no doubt that the men's team is world class, but in the Olympics, they have not had much success.

So what are the reasons behind the men's failure while women thrive?

Firstly, the competition in the men's field is much more intense than that of the women's. In the case of women's archery, Italy and China are the only nations that are world class. However, in the men's field, the competition is more severe, with the U.S. France, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden all being outstanding archery nations. The skill differences between them are almost negligible. Winning an international archery event depends on one's own condition on that day and weather conditions. In addition, each nation has at least one leading ace archer, making it even more difficult to gain a win.

Another point is that in the women's side, a united front can be formed. At the games this year, there are many Korean women in the tournament entry at the quarters and semis. Hence, the Korean women's team members do not have the psychological burden of having to win. On the contrary, men have that psychological burden, believing they must do well. According to coach Lee Wang-Woo, after Chang Yong-Ho's loss in the 16th round, the other 2 members seemed to have added pressure to win on their shoulders.