No. 1-ranked female archer puts team first

South Korean archer Choi Mi-sun poses for a picture after an interview at the National Training Center in Seoul on April 27, 2016.

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) — South Korean archer Choi Mi-sun may be ranked No. 1 in the world, but she said she will put her team before any personal glory at this year’s Summer Games.

The 19-year-old will be entering her first Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. She finished first in the national team trials earlier this month — which some say may be more difficult than winning an Olympic medal, given the depth of archery talent in the country.

Her world ranking position and the recent performance make Choi a favorite for the individual gold medal, but she said Wednesday her priority is to bring South Korea its eighth straight women’s team gold medal.

“I think winning a gold as a team with my two teammates (Ki Bo-bae and Chang Hye-jin) will mean more to me than keeping the streak alive,” Choi said during her opening training session Wednesday, when the countdown to the Olympics reached 100 days.

“As the youngest on the team, I will just follow the lead of the two veterans,” she added.

Choi said she does want to win the individual gold medal, too, and follow in Ki’s footsteps. In London four years ago, Ki won both the individual and team gold medals, and Choi said the 28-year-old is “someone who can shoot a 10 at critical moments.”

Choi said she is a soft-spoken introvert who likes to keep to herself, but that doesn’t mean she lacks any self-confidence.

“I think I will do well if I perform like I did at the national team trials,” Choi said. “I will step up with confidence, like I did at the world championships last year (where she won the individual bronze behind Ki and Lin Shih-Chia of Chinese Taipei).”