London – GBR August 03, 2012: Key facts from men’s archery individual event:OH Jin Hyek (KOR) became the first Olympic gold medallist from Asia in the men’s individual event in archery.
• Coming into these Olympic Games, archers from Asia had won seven medals in this event, but never a gold.
• OH won Korea the only Olympic archery event it had never before won.
• Takaharu FURAKAWA (JPN) captured silver, emulating the best ever performance by Japan in this event.
• DAI Xiaoxiang (CHN) took the bronze. He is the first medal winner from China in this event.
Key facts from women’s archery individual event
Mexico won two medals in the one discipline at the same Olympic Games for the first time since 1984.
• KI Bo Bae (KOR) won Korea’s seventh title from the past eight Olympic Games in this discipline.
• Korea continued its streak of having won at least a silver medal in this discipline at every Olympic Games since 1984. However, this was the first time since 1996 that Korea did not win at least two medals.
• Aida ROMAN (MEX, silver) and Mariana AVITIA (MEX, bronze) won Mexico’s first Olympic medals in archery.
• Mexico won two medals in one Olympic discipline at the same Games for the third time in its history and for the first time since 1984 (athletics men’s 20km walk). It was the first time Mexico has won two medals in one women’s discipline at the same Games.
Key facts from men’s archery team event
• Italy has claimed their maiden gold medal in Olympic men’s team archery.
• Italy became the fourth different NOC to win gold in this event, after Republic of Korea (four), the United States (one) and Spain (one).
• This was the second gold medal by Italy in Olympic archery after Marco GALIAZZO (ITA) in the men’s individual event at Athens 2004. GALIAZZO is also part of this winning team.
• Michele FRANGILLI (ITA) won his medal in men’s team archery 16 years after his first medal, a bronze at Atlanta 1996. In Olympic history, only Hubert VAN INNIS (BEL, 1900-1920) and Hiroshi YAMAMOTO (JPN, 1984-2004) have won medals in any archery event over a longer time span.
• IM Dong Hyun (KOR) and FRANGILLI equalled JANG Yong Ho’s (KOR) record of three total medals in the men’s team event.
• Both the United States (one gold, two silver, one bronze) and Italy (one gold, two silver, one bronze) won their fourth medal in Olympic archery, the most of all NOCs except Korea (who have six – four gold, one silver, one bronze).
• Korea won a bronze medal, completing the set of gold-silver-bronze in the history of this event. Italy completed their medal set as well.
• Korea failed to win gold for the first time since Atlanta 1996, when United States beat them in the final. They failed to qualify for the final for the first time since Barcelona 1992.
• Korea won a medal in this event for the fifth Olympic Games in a row. This is the first time Korea has ever won five medals in a row in any Olympic men’s event.
Key facts from women’s archery team event
Korea won a seventh consecutive gold medal in archery women’s team, keeping their perfect Olympic Games streak alive.
• Korea has now won all seven gold medals in the women’s team event since it was first introduced at Seoul 1988.
• With the seventh consecutive gold medal, Korea has the longest running streak of gold medals in any women’s event in any sport.
• Korea equalled the third-longest streak of gold medals in a single women’s event in any sport, behind only United States in diving 3m springboard between 1920 and 1956 (eight) and Soviet Union in gymnastics artistic team between 1952 and 1980 (eight).
• China won its fourth silver medal in women’s team and its third in a row.
• Bronze medal winners Japan won their first medal in women’s team archery.
• LEE Sung Jin (KOR) became the fourth Korean woman to win multiple gold medals in the women’s team event. KIM Soo-Nyung (KOR) is the only woman with three gold medals in the women’s team event.
Archery by the Numbers (before the competitions started!)
• 2004 – Archery competition in Athens was held at the Panathinaiko Stadium where the first Olympic Games of the modern area took place in 1896. The Panathinaiko Stadium was built on the ruins of an ancient stadium built in 329 B.C. This launched a new concept of “archery competitions in iconic and spectacular places”. With the World Cup circuit that started in 2006, this concept was applied in some fantastic location such as the Mayapan Pyramids in Mexico, the famous 7-star hotel in Dubai, the “Oldest Fort of the New World” in Santo Domingo, Shanghai Riverside, the Nyhavn Canal in Copenhagen, the Gardens of Edinburgh, the historic Piazza Castello in Turin and the Bosphorus shore of Istanbul. Future places: Tokyo, Paris and more!
• 1988 – Team events were included in the Olympic archery competitions.
• 1972 – Archery returns permanently to the Olympic programme.
• 1900 – Archery first appeared in the Paris 1900 Olympic Games for men and St Louis 1904 for women, making it one of the first sports to include female athletes.
• 181 – Number of athletes to win any of the 300 medals in archery in Olympic history.
• 128 – Number or archers in London.
• 70 – Distance in metres to the target.
• 30 – Korea leads all NOCs with 30 medals in total, including a record 16 gold medals. United States has 29 total medals.
• 9 – Hubert VAN INNIS (BEL) has won a record nine medals in archery, including a record six gold.
• 6 – Korea has won women’s team event in all six editions.
• 5 – United States has won men’s individual event five times, equal to all other NOCs combined.
• 3 – KIM Soo-Nyung (KOR) has won a record three gold medals in women’s team. The most for an athlete in a specific current event.
• 0 – Korea has never won men’s individual event. It has won all three other current events at least four times.
An A-Z of archery at the London 2012 Olympic Games
A – apple
The legend of William TELL (SUI) tells the story of a Swiss folk hero, who fired an arrow at an apple placed on his son’s head to save both their lives. This is not recommended by World Archery.
B – Brave
Disney Pixar’s latest film centres on a character named Merida who uses archery skills. There was a special screening at the last archery World Cup in Ogden, Utah, USA.
C – CAGE Nicolas (USA)
Hollywood star Nicolas CAGE (USA) was taught to shoot by Great Britain coach Lloyd BROWN (USA) for the 2005 film The Weatherman.
D – Darrell PACE (USA)
USA’s most successful archer, winning individual Olympic gold medals in 1976 and 1984, team silver, and two world championships in his career. He was declared the men’s archer of the 20th century by the Federation Internationale de Tir an l’Arc (FITA), now known as World Archery.
E – ELLISON Brady (USA)
The world No. 1. After competing at the test event at Lord’s cricket ground he transformed his backyard to replicate it. He has the Olympic rings tattooed on his right forearm.
F – flag
World champion Denisse VAN LAMOEN (CHI) carried the flag for Chile at the Opening Ceremony.
G – Geena DAVIS (USA)
The actress, who starred in films such as Beetlejuice, The Fly and Thelma and Louise, reached the semifinals of the USA Olympic trials for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
H – Hunger Games
Khatuna LORIG (USA), who will be competing in her fifth Games, taught archery to Jennifer LAWRENCE (USA), who played Katniss EVERDEEN in the film adaptation of the Hunger Games.
I – IM Dong Hyun (KOR)
The 2007 world champion has won two Olympic gold medals in team events, at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He has done it with considerably compromised eyesight. However, the archer does not wear corrective glasses or contact lenses during competition. IM relies on “feel” when he shoots. He is long-sighted, therefore can see the target properly but not the sight pin clearly that is close to his eyes. According to IM, seeing clearly does not make any difference. The Korean has even rejected offers of free eye surgery to improve his vision.
J – junior
Getting older by the minute. Junior archers used to be under 18 but the rules have changed to come in line with the criteria for the Youth Olympic Games and juniors are now under 21.
K – kisser
A button fitted to the string of the bow which touches the lips at is drawn back. It is used to check the length of draw.
L – Lord’s
One of the most historic grounds in world sport and the venue for archery at London 2012. It is known as the home of cricket. The RAF used the ground as a base during the Second World War but, apart from the test event, only cricket has been staged there since it opened in 1814.
M – MBE
Alison WILLIAMSON (GBR) was awarded an MBE for services to archery by the Queen in the birthday honours list. London 2012 will be her sixth successive Games which can only be matched in Great Britain by Tessa SANDERSON and Bill HOSKYNS.
N – noble
In May 2012 Crispin DUENAS (CAN) taught the Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) to shoot on a royal visit to Toronto.
O – overdraw
A device attached to the bow that allows an archer to use arrows that are shorter than their actual draw length.
P – PARK (KOR)
PARK Sung Hyun World record holder who earned four Olympic medals, three gold and a silver, at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 before retiring and marrying two times team gold and individual silver Olympic medallist PARK Kyung Mo.
Q – quick
Arrows that fly up to 240kph.
R – Robin Hood
Scored when one arrow splits an arrow already in the target.
S – Shoot for the Cure
The name of the breast cancer charity supported by world No. 1 Brady ELLISON (USA) since 2009.
T – Toxophily
From the Greek. Translated it means a lover of bows.
U – Ukraine
Won their first archery medal in Beijing 2008. Viktor RUBAN (UKR) took gold in the individual event.
V – Vogue
Amy OLIVER (GBR) was featured in the June 2012 issue of Vogue magazine with 12 other members of the Great Britain team.
W – Windsocks
Tubular socks which display the direction of the wind and its strength. Placed around the field of play to help the archers.
X – X10
A mark at the centre of the target, within the 10 zone. It is used as a tiebreaker.
Y – YAMAMOTO Hiroshi (JPN)
Won two Olympic medals 20 years apart. Took bronze at Los Angeles 1984 and won silver at Athens 2004 at the age of 46. Was called “the hope of middle-aged men” in Japan.
Z – Zam SHERAB (BHU)
Will be Bhutan’s only archer at the Games. She did the Minimal Qualifying Score and was selected after Bhutan received a wild card from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to acknowledge the efforts Bhutan is putting into the development of modern archery. —- World Archery
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