Young archer looking to use world championships bronze as stepping stone
Kim Je-deok of Korea holds up his bronze medal won in the men's recurve individual event at the World Archery Championships at the May 18 Democracy Plaza in Gwangju, Thursday. Yonhap
Given the way he was smiling ear to ear Thursday afternoon, one would have thought Korean recurve archer Kim Je-deok had just won a gold medal at the ongoing world championships.
In fact, Kim had won the men's individual bronze medal at the World Archery Championships — no minor accomplishment, but not the same as gold. And the 21-year-old had fallen to the bronze medal contest after losing a heartbreaker in the semifinals only a few minutes earlier at the May 18 Democracy Plaza in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul.
The ebullient athlete with an easy smile said afterward he had a blast throughout the competition.
"Regardless of the result, I had so much fun," Kim said. "The matches were really tight. My hands were shaking so much. I am pleased with the result and also the process leading to this point."
Kim defeated Matteo Borsani of Italy 7-3 (29-29, 30-29, 28-27, 28-30, 29-28) for the bronze medal. In individual recurve matches, archers each take three arrows per set, for a maximum score of 30 points. A set win is worth two points, and a tie is good for one point. The goal is to get to six points first.
From left, medalists Marcus D’Almeida of Brazil, Andres Temiño of Spain and Kim Je-deok of Korea pose with their medals during the recurve men’s individual award ceremony at the World Archery Championships at the May 18 Democracy Plaza in Gwangju, Thursday. Yonhap
This was Kim's first individual medal at a major international event. His three Olympic gold medals and three world titles have all come in team events.
Kim was also the only Korean man to make it past the round of 16, with Kim Woo-jin getting upset in the round of 32 and Lee Woo-seok losing in the round of 16.
In the semifinals, Kim Je-deok was tied with Andres Temino Mediel of Spain at 4-4 in the set score after four sets, but then Mediel went a perfect 30 in the final set to claim the victory.
Mediel's final arrow barely hit the line for a decisive 10 — so close that a judge had to have a closer look afterward. If it had been ruled a 9, the two archers would have been tied at 5-5 through five sets and would have gone to a shoot-off to determine the winner.
Kim was able to shake off that crushing defeat and regroup just a few minutes later to win the bronze medal match over Borsani.
"No matter what my opponent does, I knew I had to do what I was supposed to do," Kim said. "So I just wanted to take care of my business and wait to see what would happen later."
Kim Je-deok shoots an arrow in the men’s individual round of 16 at the World Archery Championships at the May 18 Democracy Plaza in Gwangju, Thursday. Yonhap
Kim said striking a 10 with his final arrow of the bronze medal match to clinch the win helped him forget about the semifinal loss.
"As soon as the arrow left my hand, I got the feeling that it was going to be a 10," Kim said with a smile. "It was only a fleeting moment but it was pretty fun."
What wasn't so fun was the way he had to battle some self-doubt as he kept moving deeper into the tournament. After being eliminated in the quarterfinals at each of his two previous world championships in 2021 and 2023, Kim admitted he wondered if he had what it takes to get over the hump this time.
"I was really nervous before the quarterfinals today," Kim said. "Some negative thoughts kept creeping into my head. But then I decided this is something I have to overcome at some point as an athlete. I knew I had to tackle this challenge and not just accept my fate. And I ended up with this bronze medal. It's a huge honor."
With his whole career ahead of him, Kim said he hopes the bronze medal will fuel even more success down the road.
"I hope I can continue to get better," Kim said. "I haven't won an individual gold medal yet. I will try to use this bronze medal as a stepping stone and win a gold medal someday."