An San
First archer to win three golds at a single Olympics.
An San (born 27 February 2001) is a South Korean recurve archer. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, she won gold in the women's team, mixed team, and individual events, making her the first archer ever to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. She also set an Olympic record in the women's individual ranking round with 680 points, surpassing the previous record of 673 set by Ukraine's Lina Herasymenko in 1996.
Born in Gwangju, South Korea, An began competing internationally in 2019 at the Archery World Cup stage 4 in Berlin, where she won gold in the women's individual and mixed team events, plus bronze in the women's team. In 2020, she scored 1400 in the WA 1440 Round. At the Tokyo Olympics, she won the women's team gold with Jang Min-hee and Kang Chae-young, and the mixed team gold with Kim Je-deok. During the mixed team semifinals, a "Robin Hood arrow"—where An's arrow pierced Kim's arrow—drew attention; the arrow and both athletes' uniforms were donated to the IOC Olympic Museum in Lausanne. She then defeated Russia's Elena Osipova to win the individual gold.
An has faced online harassment from Korean anti-feminists over her short haircut and enrollment at Gwangju Women's University. Some women have adopted the hairstyle in solidarity. After the Olympics, at the 2021 World Archery Championships in Yankton, she won gold in the women's team (with Kang Chae-young and Jang Min-hee), marking South Korea's 14th women's team world title. She also won mixed team gold with Kim Woo-jin, defeating Russia in straight sets, and took bronze in the women's individual after losing her semifinal to Casey Kaufhold of the United States.
Quick Facts
- Citizenship
- South Korean
- Birth Date
- 2001-02-27
- Birth Place
- Gwangju, South Korea
- Education
- Gwangju Women's University · ko · 광주여자대학교
- Height
- 1.75 m
- Country
- South Korea
- Sport
- Archery
- Rank
- 3 (as of 03 March 2026)
- Event
- Recurve
- University Team
- Gwangju Women's University
- Club
- Gwangju Bank
- Coach
- Kim Sung-eun
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
An San began her international career at the 2019 Archery World Cup stage 4 in Berlin, winning gold in the women's individual and mixed team events, and bronze in the women's team event. In 2020, she shot 1400 in the WA 1440 Round. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, she set a new Olympic Record of 680 points in the Women's Individual Ranking Round, surpassing the previous record of 673 set by Ukrainian Lina Herasymenko in 1996. During the mixed team semifinals, a 'Robin Hood arrow' occurred when an arrow from An penetrated the arrow fired by teammate Kim Je-deok; the arrows and uniforms were donated by the International Olympic Committee and displayed at the IOC Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. After winning the women's individual final against Elena Osipova of Russia, she became a triple gold medalist. An has been subject to online harassment from Korean anti-feminists who criticized her short haircut and her enrollment at Gwangju Women's University; some women adopted the hairstyle in solidarity. Following the Olympics, she competed at the 2021 World Archery Championships in Yankton, winning gold in the women's team event with Kang Chae-young and Jang Min-hee (the 14th time South Korea's women's team won the world title), gold in the mixed team with Kim Woo-jin, and bronze in the women's individual event after losing her semifinal to Casey Kaufhold of the United States.
Reader's Guide
An San's achievement of three gold medals at a single Olympic Games is unprecedented in Olympic archery history. Her Olympic Record of 680 points in the ranking round further underscores her technical precision. The 'Robin Hood arrow' incident during the mixed team semifinals became a notable moment, with the physical artifacts preserved by the IOC. Her success continued at the 2021 World Archery Championships, where she contributed to South Korea's dominant women's team performance, winning gold in both team events and a bronze individually. Beyond competition, An San became a cultural figure in South Korea, facing online harassment over her appearance and choice of university, which sparked a solidarity movement among women adopting similar hairstyles. Her career trajectory from the 2017 World Archery Youth Championships to Olympic and world champion illustrates a rapid rise in the sport.
Did You Know?
- An San is the first archer in Olympic history to win three gold medals at a single Games.
- During the mixed team semifinals, her arrow penetrated a teammate's arrow, creating a 'Robin Hood arrow' now displayed at the IOC Olympic Museum.
More in Olympic Archers 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced