Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, taijiquan archers pulled off a live archery demonstration amid the noise of a soccer stadium and a downpour of rain.
According to the Korea Archery Association on Tuesday, the special training was held during a professional soccer K League 1 match between Jeonbuk Hyundai and FC Seoul at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.
Targets were set up on the field before the match, and the men’s team of Kim Woo-jin (Cheongju City Government), Kim Jeduk (Yecheon County Government), and Lee Woo-seok (Kolon), and the women’s team of Lim Im-hyun (Korea Gymnastics University), Nam Soo-hyun (Suncheon City Government), and Jeon Hoon-young (Incheon City Hall) took aim.
As the rain fell, the crowd shouted to distract the athletes.
It was an exercise to familiarize the athletes with the “loud” cheers they might face in Paris.
South Korean archery had a bitter experience at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the team’s bid for a seventh consecutive women’s individual Olympic title was snapped by screaming and whistling from the Chinese crowd.
Since then, the sport has made it an annual tradition to acclimatize in noisy venues such as baseball stadiums before major international competitions.
In a four-set match between the men’s and women’s teams, the women’s team won the match with a set score of 5-3.
“We practiced in a good environment at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium, and we will take advantage of the good energy and show good form at the Paris Olympics,” said Kim Jeduk, who took the microphone after the match.
“It was a good experience for me ahead of the Olympics,” said the three-time Hangzhou Asian Games champion. I will bring good results in Paris,” she vowed. 안전놀이터