JABAR EKSPRES – Park Younggeol, Deputy Head Coach of the Indonesian archery national team, said that Merah Putih archery athletes need more opportunities to compete in international championships.
According to the South Korean coach, Indonesian archery athletes need to have training programs that are comparable to athletes from other countries, especially South Korea, China, and India, which are the centers of archery development in Asia today.
“We must try not to be far behind these countries in order to remain competitive. We need to increase the frequency of shooting practice and also strengthen the athletes’ competing mentality. That is the only way we will not be left behind,” Younggeol said in a statement on PP Perpani’s official website on Tuesday.
He also revealed that Indonesian archery athletes still face difficulties in competing in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals as they have no experience of reaching those stages.
“It is indeed difficult for us to compete and win medals because Indonesia has not often entered the semifinals or finals compared to other countries. The athletes always feel pressured and have their own burden to give their best. This must be prepared in training,” he added.
Younggeol’s statement refers to the results achieved by Indonesian archers in international tournaments such as World Cup Stage 1 in Turkey on April 18-23, World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai on May 16-21, and Asia Cup Stage 3 in Singapore on June 5-10.
The highest achievement of Indonesian athletes was placing fourth in the mixed team recurve at the World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, while in the Asia Cup, they were stopped in the quarterfinals.
The main challenge faced is accuracy in shooting, especially when athletes face critical situations that require concentration and mental strength to go further and win medals.
