Im Si-Hyeon, triple-crown archery champion at the Paris Olympics
“I’m sad that I couldn’t play as well as I had prepared, but I’m surprised by Woojin oppa’s unwaveringness
“Archery National Team Selection, Fairness itself… We must continue to work hard to keep this spot.”
“I felt once again that I still have a long way to go.”
On the 27th, Lim Si-hyeon, the triple gold medalist in archery at the Paris Olympics, said something unexpected when we met at the Korea National Sport University in Songpa-gu, Seoul. As a 21-year-old college student, he should have been enjoying the joy of winning three gold medals, but he was also reflecting on the Paris Olympics and renewing his determination for the future. Lim Si-hyeon, who had never missed first place in the national team selection, set a world record by shooting 694 points in the Paris Olympic ranking round. In the women’s team event with Jeon Hoon-young (30) and Nam Su-hyeon (21), he achieved 10 consecutive Olympic gold medals and also won a gold medal in the mixed event with Kim Woo-jin (32). After defeating Nam Su-hyeon in the individual final and winning the gold medal, he was selected as the Korean women’s MVP.
The title of ‘new divine bow’ was added to Im Si-hyeon’s name. However, he said, “People around me say I’m the best player, but I still have a long way to go to become the best. I will work harder to become the real best as people expect.”
What was dissatisfying about winning three gold medals at the Olympics? Im Si-hyeon said, “I shot 8s several times. I was shocked because it had never happened before on the international stage.” He also said, “There were some regrettable aspects to the game management. I couldn’t play as well as I had prepared.”
Lim Si-hyeon, who had no role model before, found a clear model answer through this Olympics. It was Kim Woo-jin, the ace of the men’s archery team and his partner in the mixed event. Kim Woo-jin, who won gold medals in the team event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and the 2021 Tokyo Games, also won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics, becoming the Korean athlete with the most gold medals (five).
Lim Si-hyeon said, “Woojin oppa, who had to lead both the men’s and women’s national teams, had more pressure than anyone else during the games. However, he never wavered in any situation. Even during the mixed match, he said, ‘Just trust me and shoot,’ and he really lived up to those words with his best performance.” He continued, “I learned that legends are different when I watched Woojin oppa. I also want to show a perfect performance like Woojin oppa at the Los Angeles Olympics in four years.”
Lim Si-hyeon, who was an ordinary player until high school, showed rapid growth after entering Korea National Sport University in 2022. Professor Kim Jin-ho of Korea National Sport University, the ‘original archer’ and five-time champion at the 1979 Berlin World Championships, recognized Lim Si-hyeon’s potential for growth early on. Lim Si-hyeon became resentful after failing to qualify for the national team in his first year of college. Determined to “show my skills,” Lim Si-hyeon attended classes at school in the morning and continued training in the afternoon and night. He didn’t put down his bow until he got the shot he wanted. Some days, he even shot past midnight. Lim Si-hyeon, who was selected as a national representative last year, won three gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Before the Paris Olympics, there was a voice saying, “I don’t know about the Asian Games, but it wouldn’t be difficult to win three gold medals at the Olympics, right?” At this, he prepared early for the ‘needle hole ceremony’, where he curled his thumb and index finger together and raised the remaining three fingers and lightly placed them on his eyes. He was determined to win the three gold medals, which are as difficult as passing through the eye of a needle, and to show off this ceremony.
Lim Si-hyeon said, “In order to shoot 10 points in a critical moment, you have to work hard enough to build that level of confidence. Through this competition, I felt that my efforts were not in vain,” and “Whenever I was behind in a match, I gained strength by thinking, ‘I tried hard.’ If I lost, I tried to admit it cleanly by thinking, ‘The other player must have tried harder than me.’”
Even though Im Si-hyeon has been busy with various events and broadcast appearances since the Olympics, he still shoots arrows in his spare time. On the day of the interview, he attended an evening event after finishing his afternoon training. Im Si-hyeon said, “The national archery team selection is fair itself. If there is a player who shoots better than me, it is natural for that player to wear the Taegeuk mark,” and “I was able to stand here because there was fair competition. I have no choice but to keep working hard to maintain my current position.” The national team selection to select players for the international archery competition to be held next year will begin in September.
Reporter Lee Heon-jae [email protected]
-
- great
- 0dog
-
- I’m sad
- 0dog
-
- I’m angry
- 0dog
-
- I recommend it
- dog
Hot news right now
2024-08-28 04:18:28