A bow picked up alongside a friend during an elementary school trial class has turned into an Asian Games medal. Kang Yeon-seo, born in 2011 and the youngest archer ever to represent South Korea, won bronze in her Asian Games debut, offering a glimpse of the future of Korean archery.
Kang, a 14-year-old third-year student at Seongsa Middle School, competed alongside Park Jung-yoon (Changwon City Hall) and Park Ye-rin (Korea National Sport University) in the bronze-medal match of the women's compound team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on the 30th at Okazaki Chuo Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The team beat Taiwan 229-228 by a single point to claim the medal.
Kang first drew a bowstring at a trial class in elementary school and joined the Bucheon G-Sports Club at the suggestion of a friend who had taken the same class. Her progress was steep. Relying on a fast shooting tempo, she swept the women's individual and team titles at the Middle and High School Federation President's Cup last year, along with the women's team and mixed team titles at the Hwarang Cup. In April this year, she became the youngest archer ever named to the national team, breaking the record set by Kim Je-deok, a two-time gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, by three years.
Despite her age, she shows considerable nerve under pressure. "People see me as young just because I am the youngest, but I have worked hard in my own way," Kang said after the match. "I will do my best to bring home a medal in the individual event that is left." She also had a message for the friend who introduced her to archery: "Isu, thank you for introducing me to this. Thank you so much for always being by my side, helping and cheering me on."
Kang now has her sights on the individual title. She posted a perfect 150 points in both the round of 32 and the round of 16, showing peak form. The individual quarterfinals are set for Oct. 1.
