2024-08-07 01:27:40
[PARiS 2024]
2010 Asian Games double crown winner was proud
London Olympic Trials Elimination Slump
2015 Representative Return Archery Life in Full Bloom
“Even if I win a medal, my exercise will not change… I want to go further and challenge myself at the next Olympics.”
“You shouldn’t be (conceited) because you won a medal. It will dry up when the sun comes up.”
Kim Woo-jin (32), the eldest member of the Korean archery team who won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics and became the world’s best archer, said this to reporters in the mixed zone after the match. In the final held at the Invalides Stadium in Paris, France on this day, Kim Woo-jin won by 4.9mm in a close shoot-out match against Brady Ellison (USA), standing at the top of the podium.
Kim Woo-jin, who won gold medals in the men’s team event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2021 Tokyo Olympics, added three more gold medals (team, mixed, and individual) at this competition, bringing his total to five Olympic gold medals, the most ever by a Korean athlete. He surpassed Kim Soo-nyung (archery), Jin Jong-oh (shooting), and Jeon Yi-kyung (short track), who had won four each before this competition.
However, Kim Woo-jin still said in a calm voice, “Even if I win one or two Olympic gold medals, it doesn’t change the fact that I exercise. The treatment may change, but the fact that I continue to do archery doesn’t change.” He also said, “It’s important to keep moving forward without being influenced by the medals I win and to find my original self. That’s what I want to tell young athletes. Don’t get (conceited) because you won a medal. It will dry up when the sun rises.”
This is heartfelt advice from his own experience. Kim Woo-jin, who first wore the Taegeuk mark at the age of 18 when he was a high school student, emerged as the ace of Korean archery by winning two gold medals in the individual and team events at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. However, he fell from grace for a moment. He was eliminated from the national team selection for the 2012 London Olympics. The shock was so great that he ranked 55th out of 60 players in the National Sports Festival held that year. He was named to the national team of four for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, but was not one of the three players who competed, so he had to watch his teammates play like a spectator.
Kim Woo-jin, who had been in a slump for several years, returned to the Taegeuk team in 2015. Since then, he has been the ace of the national team for 10 years without any hesitation, and in this competition, he has fully blossomed his archery career with his ‘extremely strong performance.’
Kim Woo-jin laughed and said, “I think I can now call myself a ‘GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)’.” However, there is still no room for arrogance. He said, “I still want to move forward. I have no plans to retire,” and “I want to work really hard and compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which is four years away.” He also emphasized, “I will enjoy today’s medal for today only. Starting tomorrow, I will leave it all in the past and move toward a new goal.” He also said, “Foreign players’ skills have improved a lot. We cannot rest on our laurels.”
He also has good competitors to race with. A representative example is his teammate Lee Woo-seok (27), who lost to Kim Woo-jin in the shoot-off in the men’s individual semifinals. Right after winning the triple crown, Kim Woo-jin told Lee Woo-seok, “It seems like you’ve become a ‘goat’ now.” Lee Woo-seok playfully replied, “Then I’ll challenge myself to become a goat that surpasses that.” Kim Woo-jin readily accepted, saying, “Okay, you challenge yourself.” The two have been in fierce competition. Lee Woo-seok, who took first place in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games national team selection, won two silver medals at the Asian Games, but lost to Kim Woo-jin in the men’s individual final.
The final opponent, Ellison, is also a rival for more than 10 years. Ellison, who has participated in five consecutive Olympics and won three silver medals and three bronze medals, said, “I think I will challenge myself in the Los Angeles competition held at home. I will have a rematch with Woojin Kim.” Woojin Kim responded, “I won once this time, but I don’t know if I will win again when we meet again in four years.”
Paris = Reporter Lee Heon-jae [email protected]
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2024-08-07 01:27:40