On March 22, South Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon broke a world record in Paris, France. She scored 694 out of 720 points in the women's individual recurve competition. This beat her own record by two points. Lim is 23 years old. She is now known as one of the best archers in the world.
The competition was called the 2026 Archery World Cup Stage 1, also known as the Paris Grand Prix. More than 340 athletes from 52 countries came to compete. The tournament happens every year. Athletes also earn ranking points to help them qualify for bigger competitions later.
The conditions on the day were difficult. Wind was blowing at up to 18 kilometers per hour. Many archers found it hard to shoot well. But Lim was very consistent. She shot 12 perfect tens in her first 36 arrows. In the full 72-arrow round, only four arrows missed the nine-ring. After the round, Lim said: "The wind was difficult, but I trained for these conditions. My coach and I practiced near the coast in Ulsan, where the wind is even stronger."
Lim's previous world record was 692 points. She set that record at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At those Olympics, she also helped the Korean women's team win their tenth Olympic gold medal in a row. Korean women have won the team event at every Olympics since 1988. Lim has also improved her technique using high-speed cameras at a sports science center in Seoul. The cameras helped fix a small problem with her hand position.
Korea is very successful in archery because of its training system. Young archers are found in elementary school and trained very carefully. About 2,500 archers compete nationally. The process to join the national team is very tough. Athletes must perform under high pressure during trials. This system explains why Korean archers are so dominant in international competition.