South Korea’s Sim Yeji matched a women’s recurve world record today as the second stage of the Indoor Archery World Cup got underway in Thailand’s capital Bangkok ©World Archery

South Korea’s Sim Yeji matched a women’s recurve world record today as the second stage of the Indoor Archery World Cup got underway in Thailand’s capital Bangkok.

The 23-year-old shot 594 out of a possible 600 points to equal the best-ever score for an 18-metres, 60-arrow indoor ranking round.

Sim, who finished second at the same stage in 2015, shot four perfect ends to close her round.

Her compatriot Park Sehui was the first athlete to set the mark in January, when she was competing at the third stage of last season’s Indoor Archery World Cup in the French city of Nîme.

All 10 of the top women’s recurve qualifiers were South Korean, with Song Jiyung and Jeon Hunyoung coming second and third on 592 and 589 respectively.

Triple Olympic gold medallist Yun Mi Jin was eighth, while Park was ninth and Rio 2016 Olympic champion Chang Hye Jin 10th.

In the men's compound, The Netherlands' Mike Schloesser opened stage two of the annual indoor tour as he did stage one, with 599 out of 600 points - one point off the perfect world record he owns - and a top ranking.

Despite finishing seven points clear of the second-ranked qualifier, Nima Mahboubi Matbooe of Iran, Schloesser still said he was disappointed.

India's Atanu Das ranked third in the men's recurve qualification ©World Archery
India's Atanu Das ranked third in the men's recurve qualification ©World Archery

"Last time was okay," he explained, referring to the 599-point round he shot at the opening leg in Moroccan city Marrakesh last month.

"But this time was not necessary.

"I wasn’t completely focused and that arrow [the nine] just went off too quickly.

"I was still going to the nine.

"With that arrow, you have to be lucky, but it was just a quarter-shaft out."

The United States’ Reo Wilde rounded out the top three qualifiers on 590 points, tied with Iran’s Majid Kianzad but ahead on a tiebreaker.

Russia’s Natalia Avdeeva led the women's compound qualifiers with 586 points, shooting a strong back half to jump up from third at the 30-arrow mark.

Iran’s Alemeh Sadat Hashempure was second on a tiebreaker ahead of South Korea’s So Chae Won after both managed 580 for the round.

In the men’s recurve, South Korea’s Gye Dong Hyun finished first on 597 points, three more than compatriot and reigning Olympic champion Ku Bonchan.

Ranked third, one point behind Ku, was India’s Atanu Das in only his third indoor competition over 18 metres.