Veteran archer Oh Jin-hyek's decadelong skill completes gold medal shot

From left, Kim Je-deok, Oh Jin-hyek and Lee Woo-seok present their gold medals after winning the final of the men's team recurve archery event at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China, during the 19th Asian Games, Friday. Yonhap

At the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, Oh Jin-hyek, then 29 years old, was the oldest member of the Korean men's archery team that won the eighth consecutive gold medal along with Im Dong-hyun and Kim Woo-jin.

Thirteen years later, he is still the oldest in the gold medal-winning Korean team with Kim Je-deok, 19, and Lee Woo-seok, 26.

South Korea routed India 5-1 in the final at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Center in Hangzhou, China, regaining the Asiad title in 13 years. The country lost the men's team gold in 2014 and 2018.

For the 42-year-old athlete, the two gold medals with the 13-year time span are precious and gratifying alike, as they are the result of hard work and fierce competition.

"I took this gold medal again following the one 13 years ago," Oh said after the final. "Whether you win when you're older or when you're younger, it's all important. All the processes for the top position were hard."

He was the third and final shooter of the three archers in the team final, and had to be calmer and more cold-headed for the last game-ending shot. On the team, Kim took the shooting line first and Lee shot next.

"Before competitions, we change our orders a lot in training sessions to look for the best combination," he said. "After rounds of trials, we've settled on this order."

The Kim-Lee-Oh order worked well in the gold medal match against India, one of the rising powers in the sport of archery.

In the third set, South Korea led the set 46-45, and India's last shooter shot a 10 and made 46-55. If Oh had hit a 9, the two teams would have tied the third set and gone for another set to decide the color of the medal. If he shot a 10, Korea would win the gold.

At that pressing moment, Oh's arrow struck the center of the target and helped the team take the set 56-55 by one point, leading to the final set score of 5-1.

Oh said there was some luck in the final set, without boasting of his skills and long experience in such tense situations.

"Well, I didn't bother. I did not strongly intend to hit a 10. I just thought it would be good if I shot a 10," he said. "I felt the last shot was not perfect when I released it, but fortunately the arrow went to the 10-point area." (Yonhap)