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Tuesday, September 19
South Korea sweeps women's individual archery
Reuters
SYDNEY, Australia -- South Korean teenager Yun
Mi-jin called for a united Korean team at the next Olympics
after winning gold in the women's individual archery event on
Tuesday.
Yun, a 17-year-old high school student, defeated compatriot Kim
Nam-Soon 107-106 in the final as South Korea swept all three
medals.
Yun said later she hoped the next time she competes in an
Olympics it will be for a united team. All four semifinalists
came from Korea and the teams marched together at the opening
ceremony.
"At the ceremony it felt like two countries had become one
country," she said. "I hope we will all be wearing the same
uniform next time."
Kim Soon-nyung, the 1988 Olympic champion and 1992 silver
medalist, took bronze with a 103-101 victory against Choe Ok Sil of
North Korea in the third-place match.
Yun, competing in her first major international event, set
an Olympic record for 18 arrows when she defeated Alison Williamson
of Britain 173-164 in the morning -- bettering the former
record of 168 set by Natalia Nasaridze of Turkey at the 1996
Atlanta Games.
Yun's score was also a world junior record.
In the 12-arrow semifinal, she scored a 107-105 victory
against Kim Soon-nyung, who Koreans believe is the best woman
archer ever.
She then sealed gold with a narrow final victory against Kim
Nam-soon in difficult blustery conditions.
"I didn't come here expecting to win a medal of any sort,
so this feels great," she said. "It must have been fate."
Yun said her youth made her confident she could go to
Athens and win gold again in four years time -- when she will
still be be only 21.
It was the fifth straight Olympic victory in the women's
individual event for a South Korean woman but the nation's
first gold in any event at the Sydney Games.
The South Koreans were the only team to have more than one
competitor reach the last eight and veteran Kim Soon-nyung was
the sentimental favorite.
Kim, who won her first Olympic gold at 17, returned to
competition this year after an absence of more than seven years
during which she had two children.
She now has a complete set of gold, silver and bronze
medals for the individual event, as well as two golds in the
women's team event.
She said she planned to continue in the sport.
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