When you think of the Olympics, you picture running, swimming and possibly gymnastics.

Some events often go unnoticed, such as archery.

A regular fixture at the Olympics since 1972, the sport exudes the values of patience, precision and concentration.

Defined as the act of using bows and arrows, the word ‘archery’ comes from the Latin word ‘arcus’, which means bow.

It was invented as early as 10,000 B.C. and was also used in the Middle Ages for hunting.

However, in modern times, archery gradually turned into a competitive sport, being played with a variety of equipment and over various disciplines.

Here is everything you need to know about archery:

Archery rules

In the individual event, each archer shoots 72 arrows in the qualification phase, the total score of which is used to determine the rankings for the matchplay phase – where archers go head-to-head, as per the Olympics.

In the matchplay phase, archers compete in best-of-five sets. A set is a predetermined number of arrows shot by an archer or a team, and the ones with a better aggregate score earn two points for winning a set. If the set is drawn, each archer or team is awarded one point.

For individual events, three arrows constitute a set, while it is four arrows for a mixed team event and six arrows for a team event.

As per archery rules, the first archer or team to accumulate six points is declared the winner in a matchplay, with the losers being eliminated. This format continues until the final, where the winner takes the gold medal and the loser takes the silver.

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In case the scores are level after five sets, the matchplay goes into a tie-break. In individual events, the winner is determined by the archer whose arrow lands closest to the target.

In a mixed team or team event, each archer shoots an arrow and the team with the better total is declared the winner.

Most successful Olympic archers

The most successful Olympic archer is South Korea’s Kim Soo-Nyung. She has four gold medals – one individual and three team – in addition to an individual silver and individual bronze at the Summer Games.

Among the men, American Darrell Pace is the most successful archer, having twice won the individual gold medal – in 1976 and 1984, in addition to a team silver.

South Korea is the most successful nation at the Olympic Games, having won 27 golds, nine silvers and seven bronze medals. In fact, South Korea have claimed all the gold medals in the women’s team event since it was introduced in 1988.

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