Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon breaks first world record of Paris Olympics

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Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon breaks first world record of Paris Olympics

Published: 26 Jul. 2024, 02:14

JIM BULLEY
jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr

Korea's Lim Si-hyeon competes during the women's archery individual ranking round at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Paris on Thursday. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon broke the first world record of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, scoring 694 out of a possible 720 points to finish first in the ranking round for the women’s individual competition at Les Invalides in Paris.

Lim’s score surpassed the previous world record set by fellow Korean Kang Chae-young in 2019 by two points. It was the first world record broken in any sport at this year’s Olympics.

The first-place finish in the ranking round makes Lim the top seed for the women’s archery competition, set to begin on July 30. She will also represent Korea in the mixed competition alongside Kim Woo-jin, who finished first in the men’s ranking round.

Kim finished with a score of 686 on Thursday — 14 short of his own Olympic record — giving the duo a combined score of 1,380 for a new Olympic record in archery mixed team. The previous record, also set by Korea in 2021, was 1,368.

The mixed team event was introduced for the first time at the Tokyo Olympics, where Korean archer An San became the first archer in Olympic history to win three gold medals; in the individual, team and mixed team events.

An failed to qualify for this year’s Games, but both Lim and Kim will make their own bid for a triple gold medal haul — Lim already managed the feat at the Asian Games in September last year.

Korea's Lim Si-hyeon celebrates after breaking the world record during the women's archery individual ranking round at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Paris on Thursday. [AP/YONHAP]

Korea is an archery powerhouse, with its 27 gold medals nearly doubling those of the next most successful team. The current Olympic records in all five archery disciplines are currently held by Korean archers. That success is even clearer in women’s archery — Korea has never lost the women’s team event since it was introduced in 1988.

The 2024 Paris Olympics officially kicks off on Friday with the Opening Ceremony at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]