The Olympics 2024 are upon us, and the two events that fans from Asia will be looking out for are either archery or weightlifting, depending on where you’re from.
If you’re from South Korea, then archery is your best bet for hauling in gold medals in Paris, given their history in the event, despite having a reduced delegation.
If you’re from China, then weightlifting is for you. The Olympics 2024 odds have them as the country to beat, although they’ll face stiff competition from Eastern Europe and South America.
Elsewhere, India are also a team to watch in archery, as they’re looking to get the best Olympics 2024 results since they’ve never made it past the Olympics quarter-finals.
Without further ado, continue reading below, as SBOTOP offers a sneak peek at our Asian neighbours, both in archery and weightlifting.
South Korea aim to assert themselves in archery
South Korea will send less than 150 athletes to compete in the Paris Olympics, which is the smallest contingent they’ve had since sending only 50 athletes during the 1976 Canada Olympics.
Because of this, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee said that they would be satisfied if they managed to win five to six gold medals in the quadrennial meet.
Perhaps they can meet the objective they set here in archery alone, with their women’s team leading the way because they come to Paris as the nine-time defending champions.
South Korea are the winningest country in history with 27 golds, nine silvers, and seven bronzes for a total of 43 medals since the first official event in 1972.
However, despite their unprecedented dominance in the event, some believe that this might be the year where they might finally lose because the women’s team are sending a relatively inexperienced squad to Paris.
The Taeguk Warriors will be without An San, who was the breakout star for South Korea in the Tokyo Games, because of her lacklustre performance in the selection event in Gwangju in March. Her omission is the perfect example of how ruthless their selection process is.
Without An San, South Korea are going to be led by Lim Sihyeon, Nam Suhyeon, and new team captain Jeon Hunyoung.
Their men’s team, on the other hand, are shooting for their third consecutive Olympic gold, and they are keeping most of their core.
Three-time World Archery Champion Kim Woojin is the one to look out for, as he aims to break his duck in Paris since he has never made it past the quarter-finals.
India looking for revenge in Paris
India have sent six archers to compete in Paris (three men and three women), marking the first time since 2012 that they’ve had a complete six-member contingent.
Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai are competing for their fourth Olympics, while Pravin Jadhav returns and Dhiraj Bommadevara, Bhajan Kaur, and Ankita Bhakat will make their Olympics debuts.
The men’s team was ranked ninth in Tokyo after they finished outside the Top 30 in the ranking round, and they ran into South Korea in the quarter-finals.
Former world No. 1 Deepika Kumari will also look to do better in Paris after losing to An San in the 2021 quarter-finals.
China plan to add more silverware in weightlifting
Each team is limited to a maximum of six competitors (three men and three women), as the weightlifting events in Paris will be reduced from 14 to 10.
China are the most dominant country in weightlifting, similar to South Korea are to archery. They have won a total of 62 medals in this sport over the past 10 editions of the Olympics, including 38 golds.
Tokyo Games gold medalist Li Fabin is the top contender in the men’s 61kg. The 31-year-old is in his best form after setting a snatch record (146kg) at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand earlier this year while winning two golds.
Meanwhile, Liu Huanhua is China’s main hope in the men’s 102kg, and the 22-year-old is competing in the Olympics for the first time.
Shi Zhiyong is aiming for his third Olympic gold in the 73kg category, but Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze is in his way. Bulgaria’s Karlos Nasar and Colombia’s Yeison Lopez, on the other hand, will be the top dogs in the men’s 89kg category. For the women’s division, Li Wenwen is the prohibitive favourite after winning three golds in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in April, while Hou Zhihui (49kg) and Luo Shifang (59kg) also have plans to secure gold for China.
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