2010 Asian Games double gold medalist overconfident, London Olympics trials eliminated, slump, 2015 return to national team, archery career in full bloom “Even if I win a medal, the sport doesn’t change. I want to go further and challenge for the next Olympics”.
Kim Woo-jin, who had a severe slump in his early 20s but regained his ace position through hard work, added three gold medals in this competition in his 30s, becoming the Korean athlete with the most gold medals (five) in Olympic history. The photo shows Kim Woo-jin shooting arrows in this competition.
“You shouldn’t be (conceited) because you won a medal. It will dry out when the sun rises.”
Kim Woo-jin (32), the eldest member of the Korean archery team who became the world’s best archer by winning three gold medals at the Paris Olympics on the 4th, said this to reporters in the mixed zone after the competition. 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-off against Brady Ellison (USA) and stood 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, individual) at this competition, giving him a total of five Olympic gold medals, the most ever for a Korean athlete. He surpassed Kim Soo-nyung (archery), Jin Jong-oh (shooting), and Jeon Lee-kyung (short track), who had each won four gold medals 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’ve won and to find my true self. That’s what I want to tell young athletes. Don’t get (conceited) because you won medals. They’ll dry up when the sun comes up.”
This is sincere 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 athletes at the National Sports Festival held that same year. In the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, he was named to the national team of four, but he was not one of the three players who competed, so he had to watch his teammates’ games like a spectator. After
suffering a slump for several years, Kim Woo-jin returned to the Taegeuk mark in 2015. Since then, he has been the national team’s ace for 10 years until this year, and in this competition, he has blossomed his archery career with his ‘extremely strong performance.’
Kim Woo-jin smiled, saying, “I think I can now call myself a ‘GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)’.” However, there is still no room for pride. He said, “I still want to move forward. I don’t have any 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. Starting tomorrow, I will bury everything in the past and move forward toward a new goal.” “The skills of foreign players have improved a lot. We cannot rest on our laurels,” he said.
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 competitions. 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. His
final opponent, Ellison, is also a rival for over 10 years. Ellison, who has competed in five consecutive Olympics and won three silver and three bronze medals, said, “I think I’ll challenge myself in the Los Angeles competition held at home. He said, “I will have a rematch with Kim Woo-jin.” Kim Woo-jin replied, “I won once this time, but I don’t know if I will win again when we meet again in four years.” 카지노사이트