Canadian archer Virginie Chénier’s run at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Antalya, Turkey, ended in the round of 32 after a narrow loss to South Korea’s Kang Chae-young on April 5, 2024. The match, contested under recurve women’s individual rules, saw Chénier fall 6-4 in a tightly contested duel that highlighted both her resilience and the razor-thin margins at the sport’s elite level.
Chénier, ranked 23rd globally entering the tournament, had earned her place in the main draw by winning two elimination matches earlier in the week. Her opening victory came against India’s Bhajan Kaur, a 6-2 triumph that showcased consistent mid-range accuracy. She followed that with a hard-fought 6-4 win over Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia, a former world No. 1, saving three set points in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth.
Facing Kang, a two-time Olympic medalist and former world No. 1, Chénier started strongly, taking the first set 28-27 with a pair of 9s and a 10. The South Korean responded in kind, winning the second set 29-27 to level the match. The third set proved pivotal: Chénier shot a 27, while Kang posted a 28 to take a 2-1 lead. Despite rallying to win the fourth set 29-28, Chénier couldn’t replicate the pressure in the final set, managing only a 26 against Kang’s 29.
“I felt good early, but in the last set, I rushed a couple of shots,” Chénier told Radio-Canada Sports after the match, her first international competition of the 2024 outdoor season. “Kang is incredibly composed — she makes you pay for any hesitation. I’ll take the positives from beating Valencia and Kaur, but I know I need to be sharper in those closing moments.”
The loss means Chénier will not advance to the round of 16, where she would have faced either Germany’s Michelle Kroppen or Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa. Her performance, however, contributed to Canada’s cumulative score in the women’s team event, where the squad of Chénier, Eric Peters, and Crispin Duenas finished 12th after a opening-round loss to Mexico.
Antalya’s Konyaaltı Beach Volleyball Arena, temporarily converted for archery, hosted the event under clear skies and light winds averaging 8-12 km/h — conditions considered favorable for outdoor recurve competition. The venue, situated along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, has hosted World Cup stages since 2019, offering archers a consistent test of wind management and mental focus.
For Chénier, the Antalya result marks a stepping stone toward her primary 2024 objective: securing Canada’s quota place for the Paris Olympics. With the Pan American Championships scheduled for later this month in Medellín, Colombia, she will have another opportunity to earn individual qualification points. A top-two finish at the Pan Ams would guarantee Canada a berth in the women’s team event and likely secure her individual spot.
“Every match like this teaches you where the gaps are,” said Chénier’s personal coach, Jacques Tétreault, in a follow-up interview with Archysport. “Virginie’s strength is her preparation — she’s meticulous about her process. Now we work on translating that process into flawless execution when the arrow leaves the bow in Set 5. That’s the next layer.”
Kang Chae-young went on to lose in the round of 16 to Germany’s Michelle Kroppen, who herself fell in the quarterfinals to eventual gold medalist Li Jiaman of China. The Chinese archer dominated the final against South Korea’s An San, winning 7-1 to claim her first World Cup Stage 1 title.
Chénier’s next competition is the Pan American Archery Championships in Medellín from April 22–28, where she will compete in both individual and team events. Results from that tournament will directly influence Canada’s Olympic qualification standings, with final quota allocations expected to be confirmed by World Archery in June.
For fans following her journey, Chénier maintains an active presence on Instagram (@virginie_chenier_archery), where she shares training insights and competition updates. Archysport will continue to provide verified coverage of her Olympic qualification campaign as it unfolds across the Americas and Europe.
As the outdoor season progresses, the margin between advancement and elimination remains measured in millimeters and milliseconds — a reality Virginie Chénier knows all too well after her Antalya experience. The next arrow, she’ll tell you, is always the one that matters most.
Stay tuned to Archysport for the latest developments in Virginie Chénier’s path to Paris 2024.
