Kim Woo-jin: Archery Profile, Career Highlights & Equipment

Who Is Kim Woo-jin?

Kim Woo-jin is a South Korean recurve archer who holds one of the most coveted records in the sport: the world record for the 72-arrow outdoor round at 70 meters. Born on June 20, 1992, Kim has competed at the highest levels of international archery across a career that spans multiple Olympic cycles, World Championships, and World Cup seasons. South Korea produces an extraordinary depth of recurve talent, and Kim has consistently been among the country’s top men’s competitors despite the fierce internal competition he faces just to make national teams.

Early Life and Path to Archery

Kim Woo-jin grew up in South Korea’s well-developed archery pipeline, which begins identifying talent at a young age and channels the most promising athletes through a rigorous training system that combines volume, technical coaching, and competitive exposure. South Korean archery is one of the most competitive internal environments in any sport in any country — making the national team is itself a significant achievement. Kim navigated this system successfully, demonstrating from his early career the scoring consistency and composure under pressure that Korean archery demands of its athletes.

Career Highlights

Kim Woo-jin set the world record for the men’s outdoor 72-arrow round at 70 meters, shooting a score that established a new benchmark for what is possible at the maximum scoring distance in Olympic recurve archery. This record is significant because the 72-arrow qualification round is the foundation of all Olympic and World Championship competition — setting the record reflects scoring ability of the highest order.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Kim reached the semifinals of the men’s individual recurve event, where he was defeated by Turkey’s Mete Gazoz. He also contributed to South Korea’s men’s recurve team performances. Prior to Tokyo, he competed at the Rio 2016 Olympics as part of the South Korean men’s team. His World Cup circuit record includes multiple stage medals and strong team performances. Maintaining elite status in Korean recurve archery across multiple Olympic cycles is itself a testament to his quality, given the number of talented competitors vying for the same spots on the national team.

Shooting Style and Technique

Kim Woo-jin exemplifies the Korean school of recurve archery — technically refined, physically powerful, and psychologically robust. Korean recurve archers train to very high draw weights and develop exceptional back musculature to sustain clean form over extended shooting sessions. Kim’s release is a product of back tension rather than hand or arm action, which is the standard for elite Korean recurve shooting and produces the consistent clean releases that generate tight groups at 70 meters. His shot process is methodical and repeatable, developed through the sheer volume of arrows that Korean training culture demands. The world record score is not the product of a lucky day but of a training system that maximizes consistency.

Equipment

Kim Woo-jin has shot Samick equipment, a South Korean bow manufacturer with a long history in Olympic recurve archery. Samick produces risers and limbs used by archers from beginner to elite level and has equipped Korean national team members at the highest levels of competition. His arrows are high-spine carbon shafts tuned for the 70-meter distance. His full recurve setup includes a long stabilizer rod, V-bar side rods, a sight designed for precise adjustment across distances, and a clicker mounted on the riser. Korean archers’ equipment setups are generally the product of close collaboration between the athlete and experienced technical coaches.

What Archers Can Learn from Kim Woo-jin

The world record that Kim Woo-jin holds is a reminder of what systematic training can achieve. For archers who want to maximize their scoring potential at 70 meters, his example points to the value of volume training — shooting a large number of arrows in structured practice sessions under conditions that simulate competition. Korean archery programs are renowned for their shooting volume, and that training base is what allows their athletes to perform consistently when the pressure is on.

His technique also illustrates the primacy of back tension in recurve archery. Archers who are working on their release will benefit from studying Korean shooting form, which eliminates the variables introduced by hand movement at the moment of release. This is a technical goal worth working toward regardless of competitive level.

Conclusion

Kim Woo-jin is one of the most technically accomplished recurve archers of his era, and his world record at 70 meters represents the pinnacle of what can be achieved in the qualification round format. His success within South Korea’s extraordinarily competitive national archery system speaks to his talent and discipline. For archers who want to understand what elite recurve shooting looks like, Kim Woo-jin is a benchmark.

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