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Chadian archer Israel Madaye thanks Korean fans via Instagram on Wednesday. (Madaye's Instagram account) |
Israel Madaye, an archer representing Chad who competed against a South Korean athlete at the Paris Olympics, posted his gratitude to Korean fans via social media on Wednesday.
“Thanks you corea” his post said, with a photo showing him removing his arrows from the target at the Games. That post and other older ones on Instagram had several likes and comments in Korean expressing encouragement for his endeavors.
Madaye did not get past the round of 64 in his Olympic debut, as he was eliminated by Korean archer Kim Woo-jin.
Madaye made 66 points in the three sets in the match, considerably short of Kim's 88 points, as one of his arrows scored just one point out of 10, a sight hardly seen on the Olympic stage.
The Chadian archer had trained by himself for over a decade since he was 19 years old, even sacrificing his career as an electrician. He had won gold at the 2023 African Archery Championships, which earned his entry to the Paris Olympics, despite competing without a chest guard to protect his body from the bow’s string.
Though he was forced out of the tournament, Madaye revealed that he was proud for competing with the world’s top archers in an interview afterward, saying he felt accomplished to be on the Olympic stage.
His attitude and the story behind his participation into the Olympics went viral in South Korea, leading Korean fans to leave him messages of praise on his social media.
Thousands of comments are being posted to his Instagram page in Korean, including: “Thank you for the great match. I always support you from far away,” “I felt the passion and some indescribable emotions from you. I will live after your passion” and “I was moved by seeing your match. I support the Olympic spirit that you’ve demonstrated from the bottom of my heart.”
The athlete posted another photo from the Olympics on Instagram on Thursday, responding to the Korean messages with the caption, "Thank you very much Republic of Korea I respect."
