'First Gold' Kim Jideok and An San: "We Did As We Practiced..."

Maintaining Composure Despite Losing First Set: "Feeling Like Starting Fresh Each Game~"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"We decided to approach each match as if it were a new one." They were relaxed even after winning their first-ever gold medal. The youngest members of the archery national team, Kim Je-deok (Gyeongbuk Il High School) and An San (Gwangju Women's University), said with calm faces that they "didn't particularly worry" when asked about difficult moments.

On the 24th, at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo, Japan, the duo won the 2020 Tokyo Olympic mixed team archery final with a 5-3 comeback victory (35-38, 37-36, 36-33, 39-39) against the Netherlands' Steve Wijler-Gabriela Schloesser pair. The start was somewhat shaky. In the first set, An San scored only 8 points, totaling 35 points. The Netherlands scored 38 points, including two 10s, taking the set.

The momentum shifted in the second set. Kim Je-deok and An San showed remarkable concentration at an 18-18 tie, adding 19 points. The Netherlands faltered as Schloesser scored 8 points, allowing the set score to tie at 2-2. Recalling that moment, Kim Je-deok said, "Rather than being greedy, we kept telling ourselves to just do what we practiced." He added, "I think good results came from that."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As he said, the two players maintained a stable posture and continued their momentum. Meanwhile, the Netherlands lost their chance when Wijler scored 6 points on his second shot in the third set. Although they fiercely chased with 39 points in the fourth set, Kim Je-deok and An San's final arrows scored 10 and 9 points respectively, and the Dutch team could not overcome the Korean wall.

Kim Je-deok and An San aim to win triple crowns in the men's and women's individual and team events. Kim Je-deok said, "I will enjoy it." An San said, "I want to stand on the team event podium and listen to the national anthem."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.