South Korean archer Kim Woo-jin has had a charmed career. The 32-year-old has competed in three straight Olympic Games and won the men’s team gold medal in all three of them.
Kim completed that hat trick on Monday in Paris, where he joined forces with Lee Woo-seok and Kim Je-deok to defeat the home team France 5-1 in the set score in the final at Invalides.
And in the rich history of South Korean archery, Kim Woo-jin became the first male archer from the country to own three Olympic gold medals.
“I am so happy to have won my third straight team gold medal,” Kim said. “All three of us came here with one goal, and that was to win this team title. It feels great to have accomplished that.”
The veteran has an admirer in his teammate Kim Je-deok, who was a 12-year-old aspiring Olympian when he first watched Woo-jin compete at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The younger Kim realized his dream of making it to the Olympics three years ago in Tokyo, when he won the men’s team gold alongside 토토 Kim Woo-jin. The two doubled down on Monday.
“It’s an honor to be standing here with these guys,” Kim Je-deok said. “It’s been a grueling road to get here but it’s also been a lot of fun.”
Unlike the two Kims, Lee was competing in his first Olympic Games.
“I’d been dreaming about having an Olympic gold medal around my neck,” the 26-year-old said. “Now that I finally have it with me, I am just so thankful for my teammates.”
The three pulled and pushed each other in the final against a determined French team.