The inaugural Olympic archery competition took place at the 1900 Paris Games. There were six men's events and Belgium's Hubert van Innis won two golds and a silver. Although six Dutchmen competed in the qualifying events, only Belgian and French archers advanced to the Olympic round of the competition.

Archery at the Olympics is divided into eras — the early era and the modern era. 

In the early era, the Olympic archery program was expanded for the 1904 St. Louis Games to include three women's events. As with several other sports at the St. Louis Games, only Americans competed. In the women's competition, Lida Howell won three gold medals, becoming the first woman in the early era to win gold. 

After a 52-year hiatus, archery was brought back to the Olympics at the 1972 Munich Games in what is now known as the modern era of the sport. In the tournament, Doreen Wilber, 42, a housewife from Jefferson, Iowa, scored an upset by winning gold in Munich, becoming the first woman to place first in the modern era of Olympic archery. No American woman had won a world crown since 1962. Wilber set a world record in the process and became the second-oldest woman to win an Olympic archery event. 

Archery has been at the Games 15 times, debuting at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Olympic archery continued at the 1904, 1908 and 1920 Games before taking a 52-year pause and being brought back at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Since then, it has been a regular sport during the competition. 

Archery was removed from the Olympics after the 1920 Antwerp Games due to a lack of international rules and structure within the sport. In 1931, World Archery was founded to regulate the sport and formed the goal of returning archery to the Olympics. 

Tokyo, 2020 

Turkey's Mete Gazoz, who didn't have any great results in world championships or the Olympics before Tokyo, won gold at the 2020 Games. He beat Italy's Mauro Nespoli, who claimed silver, while Furukawa Takaharu (JPN) bested Chinese Taipei's Tang Chih-Chun in the bronze-medal match. An San (KOR), who made her Olympic debut at age 20 at the Tokyo Games, won gold in the women's competition. Russia's Elena Osipova claimed silver and Italy's Lucilla Boari the bronze. In the men's team tournament, South Kora won gold, Chinese Tapei earned silver and Japan was awarded bronze. For the women's team tournament, South Korea won gold, Russia took silver and Germany left with bronze. The mixed teams event made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics. South Korea continued its dominance in the sport by winning gold, the Netherlands earned silver and Mexico took home the bronze medal.

Rio, 2016 

Korea continued its dominance in archery at the Rio Olympics: all four gold medals (and one bronze) went to Korean athletes. Ku Bon-Chan won the men's individual competition and Chang Hye-Jin won the women's. The U.S. left with a silver medal in the men's team event and Brady Ellison took bronze in the men's individual competition. South Korea's four gold medals made archery the country's most successful Olympic sport, overtaking short-track speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games. 

London, 2012 

The set system debuted in the men's and women's individual competition. Oh Jin-Hyek of South Korea took gold in the men's individual final defeating Japan's Takaharu Furukawa 7-1. Italy won the men's team event by defeating the United States team of Brady Ellison, Jake Kaminski and Jacob Wukie 219-218. South Korea added to its archery medal count in the women's events as Ki Bo-Bae won the individual event and South Korea's women's team won gold. The Mexican duo of Aida Roman and Mariana Avitia recorded silver and bronze respectively in the women's individual event while American Khatuna Lorig finished fourth. 

Beijing, 2008 

Ukraine's Viktor Ruban took men's individual gold and South Korea claimed men's team gold. The South Korean women's team set an Olympic record in the ranking round on day one of the Games. The next day they set a world record in their quarterfinals against Italy and also won the gold medal, stretching the South Korean women's Olympic domination to 20 years. The women's individual winner was Zhang Juanjuan of China, who took the gold by overcoming the top-three world-ranked archers. 

Athens, 2004 

A narrow 237-235 loss by the men's team to Ukraine in the bronze medal match and the women's team's loss to Greece in the first round prevented the United States from earning a medal in either the team or individual competition for only the second time since the sport's Olympic introduction in 1976. The men's and women's teams from South Korea each earned gold.

Sydney, 2000 

The Sydney Games saw Australia win its first-ever Olympic medal in archery as Simon Fairweather edged American Vic Wunderle 113-106 in the men's individual final. Wunderle, Butch Johnson and Rod White clinched team bronze for the U.S.

Atlanta, 1996 

In Atlanta, 21-year-old Justin Huish -- who sometimes practiced at home by shooting from across the street, up his driveway, and through his garage door toward a target in his backyard -- became an instant celebrity. Sporting a ponytail and backward baseball cap, the carefree Californian ranked No. 24 in the world won gold by beating Sweden's Magnus Petersson 112-107 in the final. The next day, Huish and the American men won the team competition, defeating South Korea. 

Barcelona, 1992 

Excluding the boycotted 1980 Games, Americans had accounted for the past four men's individual Olympic champions. But the U.S. run ended in Barcelona, where France's Sebastien Flute upset Chung Jae-Hun of South Korea to win gold. In fact, the American men didn't get near an archery podium at the 1992 Games; Jay Barrs finished a U.S.-best seventh individually, and the team placed sixth. 

Seoul, 1988 

American Jay Barrs, known for listening to heavy metal music between rounds, won the men's individual gold with a late surge on the final day of competition in Seoul, defeating South Korean Park Sung-Soo 338-336. Barrs also helped the USA men's squad to a silver in the debut of the team competition. 
 
Los Angeles, 1984 

At El Dorado Park in Long Beach, Calif., Darrell Pace obliterated the 1984 Olympic archery competition. He had the title wrapped up after the third of four days of shooting and was so confident he took a lunch break midway through the final day to meet the press. Teammate Rick McKinney won silver, 52 points back. 

Montreal, 1976

In Montreal, the United States matched its Munich sweep of the archery gold medals when Darrell Pace set a world record en route to the men's title, and Luann Ryon, competing in her first international tournament, won the women's event. 

Munich, 1972 

Fifty-two years after its last appearance at the 1920 Games, archery returned to the Olympics with men's and women's individual events. U.S. men entered Munich having won every individual world title since 1967 and every team championship since 1957. Reigning world champion John Williams, an 18-year-old army private, won the gold, setting a world record for total score and a single-round world record despite once completely missing the target. Doreen Wilber, 42, a housewife from Jefferson, Iowa, scored an upset by winning gold in Munich. No American woman had won a world crown since 1962. Wilber set a world record in the process and became the second-oldest woman to win an Olympic archery event.  

Antwerp, 1920 

After the 1912 Olympic program didn't include archery, and the 1916 Games were canceled, the sport was brought back in 1920 because of great Belgian interest. However, only three countries participated - Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The host country dominated, with Hubert van Innis, 54, raising his career total to six golds and three silvers. Van Innis' victories came in events that involved shooting at a bird-shaped target on poles. These events were discontinued after 1920. 

London, 1908 

Charlotte "Lottie" Dod, sister of men's gold medalist William Dod placed second in London to British teammate Sybil "Queenie" Newall in the National Round. Dod, an accomplished athlete, previously had won five Wimbledon singles titles in the late 1800s, a British Ladies golf crown and a place on the national field hockey team. She also was a national-caliber figure skater and once sledded down Switzerland's famed Cresta Run. William Dod, who was born to a wealthy family and never worked or attended school, won the York Round competition on his 41st birthday. The British newcomer had not taken an interest in the sport until after he turned 39. Two days later, when his sister Lottie took silver in archery, the Dods became the first brother and sister Olympic medalists. 

St. Louis, 1904 

The archery program was expanded in 1904 to include three women's events. As with several other sports at the St. Louis Games, only Americans competed. In the women's competition, Lida Howell won three gold medals. 

Paris, 1900 

For the inaugural Olympic archery competition in Paris, six men's events were contested. Belgium's Hubert van Innis won two golds and a silver. Although six Dutchmen competed in the qualifying events, only Belgian and French archers advanced to the Olympic round of competition.