Rio 2016: S. Korean archer Kim Woo-jin sets world record
South Korean archer Kim Woo-jin, the world No. 1, set a 72-arrow world record in the men's preliminaries at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Friday, scoring 700 points in the ranking round at Sambodromo. / Yonhap
South Korean archer Kim Woo-jin set a 72-arrow world record in the men's preliminaries at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Friday.
The world No. 1 scored 700 points in the ranking round at Sambodromo, beating the previous record of 699, set by South Korea's Im Dong-hyun at the 2012 London Olympics.
This was the first world record set at the Rio Games, whose opening ceremony is set for later Friday.
Kim finished 10 points ahead of second-place Brady Ellison of the United States. As the top seed, Kim will face the 64th qualifier in the individual round.
Kim said afterward he wouldn't be carried away by his record-setting day.
"I was never paying too much attention about a world record, and so I am really not that excited," he said. "The ranking round is just that. I will be concentrating harder on the tournament. I won't get ahead of myself. If I prepare the best I can, there will be a good result."
Kim said he hadn't been feeling great before arriving in Rio but he's getting better and better.
He added he wasn't aware of the world record but admitted, "I was nervous when I fired my last arrow."
Two other South Koreans, Ku Bon-chan (681 points) and Lee Seung-yun (676 points), finished sixth and 12th in the ranking round.
The three archers combined score of 2,057 points put South Korea at the top in the team ranking round. The United States was 33 points behind in second, followed by the defending Olympic champion Italy at 2,007.
The top dozen teams from the ranking round qualified for the team competition. The first four nations have the bye into the quarterfinals.
The men's team competition starts Saturday. (Yonhap)