Indian archers are going to get a new foreign coach for their preparations for the Paris Olympics. Baek Woong Ki, who won the Korean women’s team and individual women’s gold medal at the London Olympics, will be the new coach till the Asian Games. After this, his contract will be extended till the Paris Olympics.
Baek Woong Ki will be the coach of the team in the World Cup Stage-1 starting in Antalya (Turkey). He is till now associated with the Center of Excellence for Archery at Sai Sonipat. This is the first time since the 2014 Asian Games that Indian recurve archers have got a foreign coach.
Not only this, the Archery Association of India has signed two-time World Cup winner Sergio Pagni of Italy for compound archers. Pagni was with compound archers since 2018. He trained archers ahead of the 2018 Asian Games. He has also gone to the World Cup with the team.
The South Koreans will begin their India tour with the season-opening World Cup Stage 1 in Antalya, Turkey, on Tuesday. They won their country’s double gold medals in the women’s individual and team sections at the London Olympics. The upcoming World Cup will be the first big test for the pair. India is fielding a new-look team consisting mostly of junior players. The trio of Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das, and Jyothi Surekha Vennam, will be India’s top challenger among compound archers.
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All eyes will be on the high-profile Korean to bring out the best from the Indian team, who will miss out on big names like Deepika Kumari, Ridhi Phor, and Komalika Bari who have failed to make the cut.
