Home   >   Sports   >   Mother Nature claims S. Korean victims in women’s archery

Mother Nature claims S. Korean victims in women’s archery

August 11, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) — Mother Nature 2, South Korean archery 1.

That was the score after the end of the women’s individual archery at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday.

While the South Korean archers had prepared for gusts at Sambodromo — with the grand stands flanking the range on either side causing swirling winds — the wind hadn’t been as much of a factor as they’d anticipated in earlier events.

Then nature got to work on Thursday, as two of the best in the sport, world No. 1 Choi Mi-sun and world No. 3 Ki Bo-bae, had more trouble hitting their targets than they cared to remember.

The windy conditions nearly claimed their third South Korean victim, but Chang Hye-jin stood her ground — literally — to capture the gold medal.

Choi opened her quarterfinals against Alejandra Valencia of Mexico with a 5 and never recovered, as she lost three straight sets.

Chang and Ki met in the semifinals, and Chang shot a potentially fatal 3 in the first set, with the wind getting checked at 6 m/s.

Ki wasn’t much better, shooting a 6 in the third set en route to losing the match 7-3.

Chang was the last one standing because she battled through the winds — the speed up to 3.8 m/s in the final — and hit three 10s.

In a more benign setting, these archers — who won the team gold medal last weekend — might hit an 8 with their eyes closed. But when the conditions got tougher, it became the matter of who had the mental makeup to withstand the pressure.

Choi admitted she started getting distracted by the weather.

“I think I got too conscious of the wind and didn’t concentrate on my own posture,” she said. “I’ve prepared so much for the Rio Olympics and it feels very hollow to have it end like this.”

As for the gold medalist, it was all about staying upbeat and confident.

“It was so windy during the (semifinals) that I could barely stay still,” Chang said. “I told myself I should stay confident and not let the wind affect me so much.”

South Korean archers Chang Hye-jin (L) and Ki Bo-bae stand on the podium in the women's individual event as the gold and bronze medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 11, 2016.

South Korean archers Chang Hye-jin (L) and Ki Bo-bae stand on the podium in the women’s individual event as the gold and bronze medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 11, 2016.