Im, Ellison aim for men’s individual Olympic gold medal

The following is the second article in a series on rival athletes in South Korea’s most promising events at the London 2012 Olympic Games. – Ed.


Two rivals at the center of attention in the global archery community are Im Dong-hyun of South Korea and Brady Ellison of the U.S.

Im, ranked second in the world, is probably Korean archery’s best hope for an individual gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. So far this medal has eluded him. In fact, no Korean archer has ever won a men’s individual Olympic gold medal, and Im hopes to be the first.

His list of achievements is impressive: individual and team titles from the Olympics Asian Games and World Championships. But Im has yet to have an Olympic individual gold medal under his belt.

The Korean archer can see 10 percent of what a person with perfect vision can see. However, he does not wear corrective glasses or contact lenses during competition. Im relies on “feeling” when he shoots. He cannot see the target properly but is able to distinguish its colors. According to Im, seeing or not seeing the target does not make any difference. Despite his visual impairment, the Korean has had a Roger Federer-esque career in archery.

“I do not know if I deserve to be called the Roger Federer of archery, but it is true that we have one point in common: If I win the individual gold at the London Games, it would also be the pinnacle of my career,” Im said in an interview with the World Archery Federation.

Im also holds world records in four disciplines: 70-meter ranking round, 70 m team, team tournament and single round team.

The 26-year-old archer has not failed in national trials once in about a decade ever since his debut in the national lineup in 2002 as a high school student. In Korea, national team trials in archery are said to be more difficult to pass than winning the Olympic gold medal because of Korean archers’ world-leading skills.

He is to make his third straight Olympic appearance in London, after Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

The currently No. 1 ranked Ellison gained prominence especially after the 2010 season when a sets and matches system was adopted, replacing the old 12-arrow elimination format. The In 2012, the 24-year-old Ellison dominated the Shanghai World Cup in April. He won the individual gold easily, and led his team to the gold medal.

With his finish at Shanghai, Ellison became the first archer to win the “four majors,” taking the gold medal in each of the four locations hosting a World Cup stage: Shanghai, Porec in Croatia, Antalya in Turkey and Ogden in Utah, U.S.

In 2011, Ellison became the first recurve male archer to win three consecutive World Cup stages in Porec, Antalya and Ogden; the first male archer to win all three gold medals in individual, team and mixed team at a World Cup event; and also the first male archer to win two consecutive World Cup Final gold medals in Edinburgh and Istanbul.

At the 2011 World Championships in Turin, the American earned “only” the individual bronze medal.

Ellison was born to shoot a bow and arrow. He started shooting when he was still in diapers, and photos show him using plastic arrows during the early days, according to the athlete profile registered with the federation. He mainly started shooting because his dad hunted and he wanted to hunt with him, and the hobby developed from there. As he had to shoot arrows with a bow at a closer range than he would do with a rifle, he is said to have developed remarkable concentration and persistence, important traits under a set competition format. He first made the national team at age 18, and took off in 2010 after the new system was introduced.

So far, Im has competed head-to-head against Ellison five times.

He beat the American archer in their first encounter in 2008 before a set system was introduced, but after the new format took effect, Im lost four straight times -- 2010 World Cup Final, 2011 World Cup, World Championship and London Olympic test event.

Im had surgery on a tumor near his eye last February and underwent a brief slump due to a lack of training. But he recovered his skills as he set two world records in World Cup Stage 2 this May.

In London, the Korean archery team is aiming to sweep all four gold medals at stake in individual and team events for both men and women.

The gold medal showdown between Im and Ellison, if both of them advance to the final, will be held on Aug. 3 at 11:44 p.m Korean time.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)