“I think a silver medal is worthy and something to be proud of.” Although she was unfortunately far from winning the individual title, Ansan (Gwangju Women’s University) gave herself a passing grade in a year of intense competition. Speaking to reporters at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the first day of the ’60th Anniversary of Korean Archery’ celebration, An looked back on 2023 as a “very confusing” time. An is the first Korean archer to win a triple Olympic archery title at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He received a plaque of recognition at the event, but preparing for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which took place this year, wasn’t easy. “At the Tokyo Olympics, I was able to focus on the Olympics (due to COVID-19), but this year was my first cycle with so many international competitions. It was very confusing in terms of conditioning,” she said. After an intense national selection and evaluation period, the team had a hectic schedule of World Cups and World Championships before heading to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in
September. Anshan won a combined three World Cup titles in the women’s team competition, but struggled to reach the individual podium. She won a bronze medal at the second World Cup in Shanghai. In the meantime, junior Im Tem-hyun (Korea Gymnastics Federation) was rising to prominence.In the end, it was Im who shone brightest in Hangzhou. She defeated An San in the individual final to win the three-peat. However, there was no disappointment on An San’s face. “In a world where only supporting actors and actresses and first place are remembered, I think a silver medal (in the individual event) is worthwhile and something to be proud of, rather than those words,” An said. “I’ve always thought of the team event as more important than the individual event. A gold medal in the team event, I want to evaluate myself only on what I did well.” Ansan’s challenge continues next year. This time, it’s Paris 2024. To qualify for the Olympics, she’ll have to pass the national team trials, which are even harder than the Olympics, as she’ll be competing against seniors and juniors with no ranking. “It’s been a very busy, intense, and crazy year,” An said, “and I’m going to do my best to train (in the new year) 무료슬롯게임 so that I can compete in the Paris Olympics.”
