(Asiad) Archery silver medalists say determined to bounce back after rare team loss

OKAZAKI, Japan, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- When it comes to archery results at Asian Games, this was as rare as it could get: for the first time since 1994, South Korea did not win gold in the women's team event in recurve.

The trio of Kang Chae-young, Lee Yun-ji and Oh Ye-jin took silver after losing to India by the set score of 5-3 in the gold medal match at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city, Nagoya.

After the stunning defeat, Lee and Oh, both competing in their first Asian Games, said they will try their best to learn from the experience.

"Just to be at such a huge event was a really valuable learning experience for me," the 25-year-old Lee said. "I will try to build on this experience and keep moving forward."

Oh, 23, added, "I think this is just the beginning. I have had such a great experience here and I loved being around my teammates."

Lee said she had tried not to think too much about extending South Korea's Asiad winning streak in this event to eight, adding, "We all concentrated on doing the best we can under the circumstances."

Oh chimed in: "This is obviously disappointing but we gave it our best. We are still grateful for this outcome."

In recurve team events, three archers per team each take two arrows per set -- a total of six arrows and a maximum score of 60 per set. A set win is worth two points and a tie will give each team a point. The objective is to reach five points first.

South Korea and India scored matching 54s in the first set and 56s in the second set. But in the third set, Lee, Kang and Oh each shot an 8 with their final three arrows. India went 8-9-10 with its final three arrows, and won the set 55-51.

It gave India a 4-2 lead in the overall score. The teams then tied the fourth set at 54-54, only after the first arrow by Kirti, which appeared to catch the line between an 8 and a 9, was ruled a 9 by the officials. That decision gave India the necessary one point to win the match 5-3.

"We were hoping we would have a shoot-off, because we are really good at it," Oh said. "We wanted it so badly."

The match would not have gotten to that point had the South Koreans shot better in the earlier sets.

"The way the wind blew was confusing but I should have reminded myself every team was in the same situation," Oh said. "I should have put it out of my mind more quickly."

Lee added, "I should be better prepared for situations such as this in the future so that I can stay focused on my own performance, and not worry about anything else."