Korean archers set to deliver
seoul — The standing joke in South Korean sport is that it’s harder to get a spot on the women’s Olympic archery team than win a gold medal, but for rivals tasked with ending a streak that goes back to the 1988 Seoul Games that dominance is no laughing matter.
Archery has been a gold mine for Korea since the sport returned to the Olympics in its modern format in 1972.
The country’s athletes have captured 19 of the 36 gold medals up for grabs, including all seven of the women’s team titles since the event was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Games.
That success has naturally created a burden of expectation at home and Koreans routinely factor in a minimum of two archery golds in their medal projections, but defending individual champion Ki Bo-bae says pressure comes with the territory.
“Previous Korean archery teams have left a legacy with their great achievements and for many South Koreans when they think of the Olympics they remember how successful our archers have been,” she said. “So there is a bit of pressure weighing on our
Previous Korean archery teams have left a legacy with their great achievements K Bo-bae, archer
shoulders in that regard. But we have to think positive and the only way to overcome that pressure is through training.”
Bidding to narrow the gap, Korea’s rivals have adopted something of a “If you can’t be them, hire them” approach.
At the London Games, 11 other countries had Korean coaches on staff, including the United States, Italy and Mexico — the other three semifinalists in the men’s team event.
That diffusion of expertise should present more challengers for gold in Rio, with Ki singling out improving Taiwan as a threat to team and individual titles. —