South Korea’s women’s recurve archery team has taken gold every year the sport has been offered at the Olympics.

That’s a level of boss you don’t often see.

Yet, archery is not their national sport.

Why such a consistent high caliber?

Some say it’s because Korea makes the best bows in the world (Win&Win), which also supplies the local athletes with the best gear.

Others say it’s because of a long-standing respect and tactical use for bows, which was present in defense early on.

Others point to more practical reasons, like the 10+ years of funding from Hyundai Motors. Archery is an expensive sport after all, with some individual arrows costing $40.

Yet none of that would matter without the discipline of the athletes. At the 2012 London Olympics, the women’s team said that they shoot 500 arrows a day, often with a 40-pound bow.

A conglomerate of these factors has resulted in an intense level of competition within Korea, and the perception that qualifying for the Olympics is harder than the competition at the Olympics itself.