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South Korean archer Kim Woo-jin competes during the men's individual ranking round of the Paris Olympics at Les Invalides in Paris on Thursday. (Yonhap) |
Two-time Olympic champion Kim Woo-jin finished first in the men's individual archery ranking round of the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
Kim scored 686 points out of a maximum 720 points at Les Invalides in the French capital to grab the top seed for the individual tournament, which begins Tuesday with the round of 64.
The 32-year-old won gold medals in the men's team event at each of the past two Olympics but he has never won an individual medal.
As the top male performer for South Korea in the ranking round, Kim will compete in the mixed team event alongside the top female archer from earlier Thursday, Lim Si-hyeon.
Lim set the world record with 694 points.
Both Kim and Lim will have a chance to win three gold medals here. Lim did just that at last year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where she swept up gold medals in the women's individual, women's team, and mixed team events. Kim, on the other hand, didn't even compete in any of the three events, after finishing as the worst South Korean man in the ranking round.
Kim said he wants to accomplish things that he never had a chance to do in Hangzhou, but he will also try to contain his emotions.
"Things often go wrong when I try to do too much," Kim said. "I will try to keep my head clear, but to compete with a burning heart."
Asked if he would have any difficulty teaming up with someone 11 years his junior, Kim said, "You're supposed to cater to the younger one. I'll do whatever she wants me to do."
Kim and Lim won the mixed team title at the season's first Archery World Cup stop in Shanghai in April. At the next World Cup in the South Korean host city of Yecheon, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Kim's countryman Kim Je-deok, a double gold medalist in Tokyo three years ago, finished second with 682 points. The third member of the South Korean team, Lee Woo-seok, ranked fifth with 681 points.
The trio combined for 2,049 points, putting South Korea atop the team rankings. South Korea earned a bye to the quarterfinals of the team competition, scheduled for Monday.
South Korea has won the past two men's team gold medals, and produced the men's individual champion in 2012 and 2016.
South Korea leads the all-time Olympic archery medal table with 27 gold medals and 43 medals overall. (Yonhap)
