The Korea Herald

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[Korea Quiz] Gold medal sport

By Korea Herald

Published : July 31, 2024 - 11:14

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South Korea consistently dominates the sport of archery at the Summer Olympics in a way that not many other countries have, particularly the women's team competition.

Ever since the introduction of the women's archery team event at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Korea's female archers have never failed to win gold, including at the ongoing Paris Games.

Korea's male archers are also among the world’s finest, both in team and individual competitions. The country aims for a clean sweep of all five golds available in archery at the Paris Olympics.

The record of 10 consecutive gold medals ties the Korea women's archery team with the US men's 400-meter medley relay swimming team, which achieved the same feat from the 1984 Los Angeles Games to the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Korea has participated in the individual archery events since 1984 and team events since 1988, winning 29 gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals -- including the two golds so far in Paris. That is the most gold medals the country has ever won in a single sport.

Out of Korea's total 101 gold medals won across the Summer Olympics, archery leads all other sports with 29.

In taekwondo, which was developed in Korea, the country has captured 12 gold medals, the second-most after archery. Judo and wrestling have received 11 gold medals each.

The secret behind Korea’s global dominance in archery is attributed to several factors, including a renowned and systematic training system known for its depth and thorough preparation. Korean athletes are trained to remain calm and focused, with the assistance of cutting-edge biometric technology, which helps them maintain consistency in their performance.

It is also known that the competition within Korea is more intense than at the Olympic level.

"Our country has so many great athletes (in archery), and only the very best of them get to go to the Olympics. Since they are picked from the best, (the Olympic athletes) play with a sense of responsibility of having to represent the other players. I think this is how we are able to garner such great results," said Ki Bo-bae, a now-retired archer and three-time Olympic gold medalist.

Answer: (c)