BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Under heavy rain in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese archers trained in wet conditions as part of their final preparations for the 2025 World Archery Championships, which will be held on Sept. 5-12 in Gwangju, South Korea.
"This is the most important competition of the year, and our team will give it all," team manager Mu Yong said. "We hope the players gain valuable experience and improve through the event, but we won't place pressure on them to win medals."
China will field a men's recurve team of Olympic veterans Li Zhongyuan, Kao Wenchao and Wang Yan. On the women's side, Olympian Li Jiaman will lead a squad joined by rising talents Zhu Jingyi and Huang Yuwei.
The Gwangju championships will feature a new format. On Sept. 9, the individual event will be held in the morning, followed by the men's, women's and mixed team eliminations in the afternoon.
"This is unprecedented," Mu noted. "Previously, there was at least a day between individual and team events. Now, athletes must reset mentally and physically in a short time. It will be a full-load exam."
"The United States has made significant progress, and Asian teams such as Chinese Taipei and Japan performed well in the World Cup," he added.
From July 30 to Aug. 15, the Chinese national team trained at the Gwangju venue alongside the South Korean team, before moving to Yecheon County for joint sessions with local professional and university squads.
"Training on site gave athletes early familiarity with the weather and venue," Chinese coach Long Linqiao said. "We are also working on mental strategies to cope with the atmosphere of the crowd."
For the first time, China will also send athletes to compete in compound archery at the World Championships. "This is a starting point, moving from zero to one. We plan to establish a national compound archery team this winter," Mu said. ■
