Archer takes aim at 3rd gold in Paris; boxer goes for more history
Lim Si-hyeon, left, and Kim Woo-jin of South Korea hold up two fingers after winning their second archery gold medal of the Paris Olympics in the mixed team event at theInvalides in Paris, Aug. 2. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By earning his fourth career Olympic gold medal in Paris on Friday, archer Kim Woo-jin tied three others for the most gold medals by a South Korean Olympian, winter or summer.
He can have the record all to himself by the end of Sunday.
Kim will go for his third gold of the Paris Olympics and his fifth overall when the men's individual competition reaches the late stages. Kim moved through the rounds of 64 and of 32 earlier in the week, and will start the round of 16 against Wang Yan of China on Sunday.
Kim won the men's team gold medal with Lee Woo-seok and Kim Je-deok on Monday, and then the mixed team gold medal with Lim Si-hyeon, Friday.
Im Ae-ji of South Korea, left, celebrates after beating Yeni Arias of Colombia in the quarterfinals of the women's 54-kilogram boxing event at the Paris Olympics at North Paris Arena in Paris, Aug. 1. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
No Korean male archer has won three gold medals at the same Olympic Games.
Kim and Lee will meet in the semifinals if they both win in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals. Kim Je-deok will avoid them until the final.
Also on Sunday, boxer Im Ae-ji will fight in the semifinals for the women's 54-kilogram event against Hatice Akbas of Turkiye.
There are no bronze medal matches in Olympic boxing, meaning Im will still walk away with a bronze medal even if she loses to Akbas. It is South Korea's first-ever medal in women's boxing.
After defeating Yeni Arias of Colombia in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Im said she wouldn't settle for bronze and will go for gold.
Medals will be awarded in the men's golf tournament Sunday. Tom Kim and An Byeong-hun, both of them PGA Tour players, are representing South Korea. (Yonhap)