Olympic archery gold medalist Ki Bo-bae is smiling at a retirement press conference held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 14th. /Newsis
“There are many talented players in our country, and I don’t even want to imagine surviving there.”
Archery queen Ki Bo-bae (36) said at the official end of her career as an athlete on the 14th, “I never want to do archery even if I am reborn.” Still, she said, “If she were reborn, her love for archery would still be the same.”
On the 14th, Ki Bo-bae’s retirement press conference was held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Ki Bo-bae came out in a black dress that day. He expressed his thoughts, saying, “I picked up a bow for the first time in 1997, and after 27 years of playing as an athlete, I am now trying to return to my daily life.”
Ki Bo-bae won a gold medal in the team event at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. He then rose to the top of the world by winning two gold medals in the individual and team events at the 2012 London Olympics. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he won a gold medal in the team event and a bronze medal in the individual event.
The total number of medals swept in various international competitions, including the Archery World Championships and the World Archery World Cup Final, is 37 gold medals, 9 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals. In 2017, she received the Blue Dragon Medal (Grade 1), the highest rank of the Order of Sports of the Republic of Korea. She continued her active life after her marriage and childbirth in 2017. Ki Bo-bae returned to the national team last year when the Hangzhou Asian Games were held, but ultimately decided to end her playing career.
Even among the splendid days of active duty, there were some disappointing moments. This was when she faced and lost to her teammate Jang Hye-jin in the semifinals of the individual event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Ki Bo-bae said, “I saw myself collapsing on the threshold of winning my second consecutive Olympic individual event,” and she said, “I wanted to turn back time.”
The most glorious moment was the shoot-off in the final of the individual event at the London Olympics. At the time, Ki Bo-bae was tied 5-5 with Mexico’s Roman in the fifth set, and eventually entered a shoot-off where the winner was decided with one last shot. Ki Bo-bae, who pulled the bowstring first, could not raise his head after shooting 8 points. However, Roman also shot 8 points, and Ki Bo-bae, whose arrow was closer to the center of the target, dramatically won the gold medal. Ki Bo-bae said, “It was a turning point in my archery life,” and “I remember that moment the most.”
Ki Bo-bae pulling the bowstring in the individual final shoot-off at the 2012 London Olympics. / SBS
Regarding the reason why he decided to retire, Ki Bo-bae said, “Participating in the Olympics comes with unimaginable hardships and burdens,” and added, “I had a hard time wearing the Taegeuk symbol in 2023, and I wanted to give it a try. “But I also had doubts about whether I could really prepare with the same mindset as I did for Rio and London.” He continued, “Thinking of my juniors who will succeed me, I thought, ‘I will step down and trust that they will do well.’”
Ki Bo-bae said, “In the past, I said I would never let my daughter play every sport, but my daughter has a great competitive spirit, so I think she will do well in anything.”
Ki Bo-bae plans to focus on promoting archery to the public in the future. He said, “I want to return the overflow of national love and interest I have received,” and “I want to create a culture where anyone can easily access and enjoy archery.”
2024-02-14 07:14:17
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