South Korean Archer Sets World Record in Rio

It was a foreboding sign for the US men’s team last week when South Korean archer Kim Woo-jin broke the world record for the best score in Olympic archery posting a 700 out of 720 in the individual ranking round.

The performance would put Kim in the number one seed going into this week’s ongoing individual competition single-elimination bracket. But it also set the stage for the South Korean’s to best the United States in team competition over the weekend. 

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The Olympic sport of archery is pretty simple. Competitors stand 70 meters from a target with points ranging from 10 being a bulls eye to 1 on the outer most edge. Out of 72 arrows, Kim shot 52 into the bulls eye and did not score any points lower than 9. The feat was made slightly more difficult given a wooden board shooters were forced to stand on, which was reportedly a bit wobbly.

While the men’s team took silver behind the South Koreans, the United States women’s team failed to medal with again South Korea taking gold. Ongoing this week are the men’s and women’s individual competition. To follow all the archery action from the Rio Olympics, visit NBC Olympics/archery.  

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Photo credit: Rio 2016