Paris, France, August 4, 2024: Anything Lim can do, Kim can do, too.
One day after Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon completed an Olympic Games hat trick of women’s team, mixed team and women’s individual titles, Kim Woo-jin did exactly the same at Invalides on Sunday by adding the men’s individual gold to the men’s team and mixed team events he had won earlier in the week.
Thanks to the efforts of Lim and Kim in particular, Korea completed a golden grand slam of all five archery competitions in Paris – men’s and women’s team, men’s and women’s individual and mixed team.
It is Kim’s fifth Olympic gold medal in all, as he was on the winning team in 2016 and 2020.
In Sunday’s phenomenal final, Kim was given a stern test by Brady Ellison of the United States before winning 6-5 in a single-arrow shoot-off.
After finishing five sets locked at 5-5, both players shot a perfect 10 with their shoot-off arrow – but Kim’s effort was closest to the centre. At 6-5, it was the only time that Kim had led in the match, and it was the only time that was necessary.
Ellison won the first and third sets and Kim won the second and fourth sets to make it 4-4. In the fifth set, both players shot three perfect 10s to split the set points at 5-5 and force the single-arrow shoot-off.
Korea also earned the bronze medal through Lee Woo-seok, who beat Germany’s Florian Unruh 6-0 in the play-off for third place. Kim had defeated Lee 6-5 in an all-Korea semi-final.
The 32-year-old three-time Paris 2024 champion was asked how it felt to be the most decorated archer from Korea.
"Now I completed my last mission and I'm happier than any other time," he replied.
He was asked if the single-arrow shoot-off was the most important shot of his career.
"I felt this was going to be my last shot. I don't know when I can have this chance so I was thinking, 'This is the last shot'. So I shot it.”
Summing up Korea’s five-gold grand slam, Kim added: "I think it means Korea is the world's best and we proved it."