LONDON (Yonhap News) ― In the men’s team archery event at the London Olympics, Italy edged the U.S. by one point, 219-218, thanks to a perfect 10 by the final shooter, Michele Frangilli.
Although the South Koreans had lost to the Americans and were relegated to the bronze medal match against Mexico, there was still a very distinct Korean flavor among the final four.
The top four nations are all coached by South Korean-born men. Oh Seon-tek heads the South Korean men’s team, and that’s really no surprise.
Lee Ki-sik, who guided South Koreans to eight Olympic titles, has been at the helm of the U.S. team since 2006. That was after he helped Australian Simon Fairweather win gold before home crowds at the 2000 Sydney Games. Suk Dong-eun coached the Italians to their first archery gold Sunday, four years after they came up short against the South Koreans. Suk is the son of the late Suk Bong-geun, the former senior official with the Korea Archery Association, who is largely credited with introducing modern archery to Korea in the 1950s.
Mexico, coached by Lee Woong, held the ground against South Korea in the bronze medal match before falling 224-219. If not for Juan Rene Serrano’s disastrous 5 in the first end, the Mexicans would have been more competitive.
All in all, 11 nations had a combined 14 South Korean natives as their head coaches or assistants. The countries also include Spain, Brazil, Malaysia, Colombia and Egypt.
Not all of those countries are exactly medal contenders, but most are making significant strides. Under the tutelage of Lee Jae-hyung, Malaysia earned a spot in the team competition for the first time. The Philippines, coached by Jung Jae-heon, will be represented in both the men’s and women’s individual events for the first time.
Lee Ki-sik is perhaps the highest-profile Korean-born coach overseas. His instructional book, titled “Total Archery,” has been translated into eight languages, and he even runs the website “KSL International Archery” to offer tips, training guides and the latest archery news. Lee also organizes coaching camps and seminars across the U.S.
