[Archery] Nat’l Team Preparing for Beijing Olympics

Archer Park Seong-hyeon, who won two gold medals in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, will try for more glory in this year’s games in Beijing.

Four years ago, he faced a make-or-break moment in the team final against China. With one shot remaining, he was in position to win the gold if he scored ten points or the silver with eight points. The competition would have gone into overtime had he scored nine points, but he got the ten and won his country the gold.

Yoon Ok-hee and Joo Hyeon-jeong are also seeking to win the gold along with Park in the team competition, and victory in individual competitions as well.

In the individual competition, Natalia Valeeva of Italy, Zhang Juanjuan of China and Mospinek Justina of Poland are considered strong competitors. In the team competition, China, Italy and Poland are the top contenders.

The Korean men’s team also includes Lim Dong-hyeon, Park Gyeong-mo and Lee Chang-hwan. They set a world record of 2,039 points in the team competition in the third round of the World Cup in May.

Last year, Lim won two gold medals in the world championships, one team and the other individual. He won another individual title in the third round of the World Cup.

Head coach Jang Yeong-sul said, “The men’s individual competition is chaotic. Any competitor in the quarterfinal has the opportunity to win.”

Korea’s archery team is well known for its unique training regimen that includes late-night marches, bungee jumping and training at baseball parks. The team has also undergone virtual training against a simulated field to better adapt to the environment in which they will compete in.

They will have a mock competition in Seoul’s Olympic Park July 17 and 18. A number of potentially distracting situations will be simulated, including shouts and yells from spectators and strong winds using large electric fans.

The Korean team will also compete in an outfit made by designer Park Yoon-soo. Members will focus on training in an environment similar to a real meet and maintain steady play throughout the competition.

kjs0123@donga.com