LONDON (Yonhap) -- Archery seems to be a fairly straightforward sport: see target, hit target. Score more points than your opponent, and you're declared the winner.
But when it comes to team competitions, the story gets a bit more complicated.
Each nation sends three archers to team events. They each fire per end, an equivalent of a set, for six arrows per team in each end. They compete in four ends for 24 arrows in total. And South Korean archers and coaches said on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the practice for the upcoming London Olympics, the order in which shooters take to the line can go as far as determining the color of the medal.
The Korean men have won the past three Olympic team gold medals, and the women's team has claimed the past six Olympic titles. It's not as though these archers need much more help, but improved performances by rival countries have prompted Koreans to search for an extra edge.
The Korean men's team will be anchored by Oh Jin-hyek, the oldest member, and either Im Dong-hyun, the two-time Olympic champ, or Kim Bub-min, an Olympic neophyte, will lead off.
The women's order is virtually set, with veteran Lee Sung-jin leading off, followed by Choi Hyun-joo and Ki Bo-bae, the proverbial ace.
Coaches said the first archer should be the quick and accurate shooter who leaves teammates with plenty left on the 30-second shot clock and puts the team ahead early. The first shooter, ideally, should also be the sensitive type who can gauge the direction and speed of the wind and share the information with teammates.
The final shooter is akin to an anchor on a swimming or track relay teams. The last one is expected to slam the door shut on opponents when in the lead, and to make up ground when trailing. Team contests often come down to the final archer needing to shoot a perfect 10 for the victory.
Teams often stick the least experienced archer in the middle, flanked by veterans.
Oh Seon-tek, the coach of the men's squad, said many different factors go into setting the lineup.
"We study archers' temperaments," Oh said. "But we also look into statistics and see which combinations have produced more points in different competitions and practices."
Ki, who has two Asian Games gold medals to her credit, said the order doesn't necessarily define the team's best shooter.
"We want to be able to complement each other naturally, so we can have desired results," the 24-year-old said.
The men's team is an eclectic collection of personalities. Kim, 21, considers himself a fearless shooter and seems to be a good fit as the leadoff man. Im is the steady presence on the team, the only one with Olympic experience, and could provide stability in the middle. Oh is the brash type who has been the third shooter for the past couple of years.
Oh, 30, expressed confidence in his teammates.
"I know the guys before me will shoot 10s, so I can relax a bit," he said. "But just in case, I always have that clinching, decisive 10 in me."
On the women's team, Lee and Choi are both reticent types who don't seem to fit the typical profile of a leadoff shooter. Ki, a stellar archer since her junior years, is more used to the spotlight but is competing at her first Olympics. But their coaches said the Lee-Choi-Ki lineup has produced the best scores in training.
Under international rules, teams are free to switch orders during competition. They can use this to their strategic advantage to get into the heads of opponents, coaches said.
The archery competition is set to start Friday, the opening day of the Olympics, with ranking rounds for men and women to determine seeds for individual and team events beginning the next day.
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