Since the women’s team archery event was introduced at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, one nation has heard its national anthem played. South Korea arrived in Rio having won each of the prior seven competitions in women’s team archery, and Sunday afternoon they pushed that streak to eight.
South Korea beat Russia 5-1 in the gold medal match, with Chinese Taipei joining those two nations on the medal stand with a 5-3 win over Italy in the bronze medal match.
The triumvirate of Choi Mi-Sun, Ki Bo-Bae and Chang Hye-Jin won the first two sets against Russia by scores of 55-49 and 55-51, and the two teams tied at 51 points apiece in the third and final set. South Korea amassed a total of ten 10-point shots in the gold medal match, with five coming in the first set. By comparison, Russia could manage just two 10-point shots for the entire match.
Choi entered the Olympics as the top-ranked archer in the world, and Ki is the reigning Olympic individual champion.
Chinese Taipei needed a fourth set to win the bronze medal, with Italy staying alive with a 51-49 win in the third set. The fourth set ended in a 56-56 tie, but the point gained was enough to seal a medal for Chinese Taipei.