Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-08-16 11:37:20

(BEIJING, August 16) — The Republic of Korea dominated the Beijing 2008 Archery competition by winning the Team gold medals, three Individual medals and setting five Olympic and one world record at the Olympic Green Archery Field.

Women’s Team

The ROK women won their sixth consecutive Olympic Team gold medal on Sunday, August 10. Park Sung-hyun led the way in the Ranking Round, matching the 72-arrow Olympic record with a score of 673 points. Park Sung-hyun’s teammates, Yun Ok-hee shot 667 and Joo Hyun-jung shot 664. The ROK’s combined score of 2,004 broke the 216-arrow Olympic record by 10 points.

In the Team 1/4 Elimination Round, the ROK women set the 24-arrow Olympic and world record, shooting a score of 231 out of a possible 240 points in their match against Italy. The ROK easily defeated France in the semifinals, 213-184. ROK went on to beat China handily in the gold medal final, 224-215.

In the bronze medal match, France needed seven points to win with one arrow remaining. Sophie Dodemont withstood the pressure to score an eight and led France to victory over Great Britain with a final score of 203-201.

Men’s Team

The ROK men won their third consecutive and fourth overall Olympic Team gold medal on Monday, August 11. The ROK trio of Park Kyung-mo, Im Dong-hyun and Lee Chang-hwan met pre-Olympic expectations in the Ranking Round by shooting the highest combined team score of 2,015 points. Park Kyung-mo led the ROK men with 676 points.

The Men’s Team medal round was defined by nail-biting matches that came down to the very last arrow. In the gold medal match, ROK and Italy were tied going into the last three arrows when Mauro Nespoli shot a seven, handing the gold medal and the 24-arrow Olympic record to ROK, 227-225.

In the bronze medal match, Ukraine was unable to defend the Team bronze they won at Athens 2004. Against the crowd favorite China, Ukraine climbed back from a six point deficit at the halfway point, only to lose to China on the last arrow, 222-219. The Chinese men’s bronze medal was remarkable because they entered the Elimination rounds in last place (12th).

Women’s Individual

Zhang Juanjuan of China broke ROK’s 24-year stranglehold on the Women’s Individual event, claiming the gold medal with the last arrow in a riveting final against the defending Olympic champion, Park Sung-hyun, 110-109 on Thursday, August 14.

The No. 27 seed, Zhang had to beat all three top-seeded ROK women to win the Olympic title. In the quarterfinal, Zhang beat Joo 106-101. In the semifinals, Zhang took out the world No. 1 Yun, 115-109. Zhang’s score of 115 equaled the Olympic record Park Sung-hyun set earlier in the day.

Yun went on to defeat Kwon Un Sil from the Democratic Republic of Korea, 109-106, to take the bronze medal.

Khatuna Lorig of the United States was fifth, Hayakawa Nami of Japan sixth, Joo seventh and the youngest archer in the competition, 14-year-old Mariana Avitia of Mexico was eighth. The reigning world champion, Natalia Valeeva of Italy, finished 19th.

Men’s Individual

In a tightly-contested gold medal match, the No. 3 seed Viktor Ruban of Ukraine defeated the No. 4 seed Park Kyung-mo, 113-112, on the very last arrow, on Friday, August 15.

Ruban was lucky to have been in the gold medal match having barely made it through the semifinals. To shoot in the gold medal match, Ruban had to break a 112-112 tie with Bair Badenov of Russia in a two-arrow shoot off.

In the bronze medal match, the No. 31 seed Badenov defeated the No. 1 seed, Juan Rene Serrano of Mexico, 110-105.

Cuba’s Juan Carlos Stevens was fifth, Moriya Ryuichi of Japan sixth, Victor Wunderle of the United States seventh and Cheng Chu Sian of Malaysia eighth. The 2004 Olympic champion, Marco Galiazzo of Italy finished 22nd.

Updated: 2008-08-15 21:40:20

Ruban(M), Park(L) and Badenov(R) show their medals. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

(BEIJING, August 15) — Viktor Ruban of Ukraine prevented Park Kyung-mo of the Republic of Korea from winning ROK’s first Men’s Individual Olympic title with the very last arrow of their gold medal match at the Olympic Green Archery Field on Friday.

In a tightly-contested gold medal match, the No. 3 seed Ruban defeated the No. 4 seed Park 113-112.

Ruban was lucky to have been in the gold medal match having barely made it through the semifinals. To shoot in the gold medal match, Ruban had to break a 112-112 tie with Bair Badenov of the Russian Federation in a two-arrow shoot off.

Park, the Individual silver medalist, was also lucky to have been in the gold medal match. He almost didn’t make it into the top four, having tied Juan Carlos Stevens of Cuba in the quarterfinal match 108-108. On a two-arrow shoot off, Park launched a 10 to break the tie. Park then beat Juan Rene Serrano of Mexico in the semifinals, 115-112.

Ruban will add his Individual gold medal to his Team bronze won at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Park will add his Individual silver medal won in Beijing to his two Team Gold medals from the Athens Games and the Beijing Games.

In the bronze medal match, the No. 31 seed Badenov defeated the No. 1 seed Serrano, 110-105.

Stevens was fifth, Moriya Ryuichi of Japan sixth, Victor Wunderle for the United States seventh and Cheng Chu-sian of Malaysia eighth.

The Men’s Individual event concluded Archery competition at this year’s Games. In Beijing, the Republic of Korea swept both the Women’s and Men’s Team titles while Zhang Juanjuan and Viktor Ruban delivered their countries’ first Archery Individual gold medals.

Updated: 2008-08-15 19:21:38

Viktor Ruban of Ukraine releases. (Photo credit: Gesang Dawa/Xinhua)

(BEIJING, August 15) — Viktor Ruban of Ukraine prevented Park Kyung-mo of the Republic of Korea from winning ROK’s first Men’s Individual Olympic title with the very last arrow of their gold medal match at the Olympic Green Archery Field on Friday.

In a tightly-contested gold medal match, the No. 3 seed Ruban defeated the No. 4 seed Park 113-112.

Ruban was lucky to have been in the gold medal match having barely made it through the semifinals. To shoot in the gold medal match, Ruban had to break a 112-112 tie with Bair Badenov of the Russian Federation in a two-arrow shoot off.

Ruban waves to spectators. (Photo credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Park, the Individual silver medalist, was also lucky to have been in the gold medal match. He almost didn’t make it into the top four, having tied Juan Carlos Stevens of Cuba in the quarterfinal match 108-108. On a two-arrow shoot off, Park launched a 10 to break the tie. Park then beat Juan Rene Serrano of Mexico in the semifinals, 115-112.

Ruban will add his Individual gold medal to his Team bronze won at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Park will add his Individual silver medal won in Beijing to his two Team Gold medals from the Athens Games and the Beijing Games.

In the bronze medal match, the No. 31 seed Badenov defeated the No. 1 seed Serrano, 110-105.

Stevens was fifth, Moriya Ryuichi of Japan sixth, Victor Wunderle for the United States seventh and Cheng Chu-sian of Malaysia eighth.

Updated: 2008-08-15 19:02:07

Viktor Ruban of Ukraine waves to spectators. (Photo credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Ukraine’s Viktor Ruban scored 113 points to win the men’s individual archery gold medal at the Olympic Games here on Friday.

The losing finalist, Park Kyung-Mo of the Republic of Korea took the silver medal with 112 points.

Russia’s Bair Badenov took the bronze medal by beating Mexico’s Juan Rene Serrano 115-110.

(L-R) Park Kyung-mo, Viktor Ruban and Bair Badenov (Photo credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Viktor Ruban of Ukraine releases. (Photo credit: Gesang Dawa/Xinhua)
Viktor Ruban of Ukraine celebrates. (Photo credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Updated: 2008-08-14 21:24:32

Zhang Juanjuan waves to spectators after winning the final. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

(BEIJING, August 14)– Zhang Juanjuan of China won the Archery Women’s Individual event at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on Thursday and so became the first non-ROK gold medalist in the event since 1984.

Since the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the Republic of Korea has won 15 out of a possible 21 medals in this event. Had ROK won, they would have set the longest running National Olympic Committee winning streak in an individual event.

“I have had a dream to win a gold medal. When I was competing on the field I was calming myself down and I held a belief I would win,” Zhang said.

To win the Olympic title, No. 27 seed Zhang had to beat all of the top three seeded ROK women, including Park Sung-hyun, the Individual gold medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Zhang won the final 110-109.

In the semifinal, Zhang took out the No. 1 ranked archer in the world, Yun Ok-hee, 115-109. Zhang’s score equaled the Olympic record Park set earlier in the day. In the quarterfinal, she beat Joo Hyung-jung 106-101.

Yun Ok-hee went on to win the bronze medal against Kwon Un-sil of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 109-106.

Updated: 2008-08-14 20:23:17

(BEIJING, August 14) — The Republic of Korea trio of Im Dong-hyun, Park Kyung-mo and Lee Chang-hwan advanced in the Individual Elimination Rounds on Wednesday, and each hopes to become their country’s first Men’s Individual Olympic gold medalist.

Lee, the No. 10 seed, broke the 12-arrow Olympic record when he shot 117 out of 120 points on Wednesday morning, the first day of Men’s Individual Elimination matches.

Park also demonstrated impressive accuracy, shooting 116 on Wednesday afternoon. He is the No. 4 seed.

Im, the No. 8 seed, will look to improve on his sixth-place finish in Athens in 2004. Im is the reigning world champion.

Other top contenders include Jacek Proc of Poland who was the first archer to break the Olympic record at these games, shooting a 116 in his first Elimination match on Wednesday.

Juan Rene Serrano of Mexico also surprised the field by placing first in the Ranking Round. Serrano was the other archer to shoot 116 in the qualification rounds on Wednesday and aims to win Mexico’s first archery Olympic medal.

Also to note is Russia’s Baljinima Tsyrempilov, the No. 6 seed, who moved through to the top 16 as expected. Tsyrempilov is the 2007 World Cup Final Champion and the 2008 European Champion.

Victor Wunderle of the United States, the Individual silver medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, will look to get back on to the podium after finishing eight in the Athens Games.

The competition will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 15 at the Olympic Green Archery Field.

Updated: 2008-08-14 19:08:26

(L-R) Yun, Zhang and Park on the podium. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

(BEIJING, August 14)– Zhang Juanjuan of China broke the Republic of Korea’s 24-year stranglehold on the Women’s Individual event, claiming the gold medal with the last arrow of a riveting final against Park Sung-hyun at the Olympic Green Archery Field on Thursday.

Zhang bites the gold medal. (Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

To win the Olympic title, No. 27 seed Zhang had to beat all of the top three seeded ROK women, including Park, the Individual gold medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Zhang won the final 110-109.

Zhang Juanjuan shoots in the match. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

In the semifinal, Zhang took out the No. 1 ranked archer in the world, Yun Ok-hee, 115-109. Zhang’s score equaled the Olympic record Park set earlier in the day. In the quarterfinal, she beat Joo Hyung-jung 106-101.

Yun Ok-hee went on to win the bronze medal against Kwon Un- sil of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 109-106.

Khatuna Lorig of the United States was fifth, Hayakawa Nami of Japan sixth, Joo seventh and Mariana Avitia of Mexico eighth.