(Olympics) Archers back each other on way to top of podium

Cynics may say there is no such thing as teamwork in archery team events. Archers just have to go up there and shoot their arrows when their turn comes up, right? Kim Woo-jin and Lim Si-hyeon may beg to differ, especially after they pushed and pulled each other on their way to the gold medal in the mixed team event in Paris on Friday. Kim and Lim defeated Florian Unruh and Michelle Kroppen of Germany by the set score of 6-0 in the final at Invalides in the French capital. In the mixed team matches, each archer takes two arrows per set, for a maximum of 40 points. The team with the higher score earns two points for a set win, while a tie gives each team one point. The objective is to score five points by the fourth set. South Korea survived some nervy moments right from the first match, in the round of 16 against Chinese Taipei. After winning the first two sets, Kim and Lim let their opponents tie things up at 4-4 to force a shoot-off. Lim, who had earlier hit an 8 to put her team in trouble, stepped up in the shoot-off by hitting a perfect 10. Kim followed that up with a 10 of his own, as South Korea narrowly edged out Chinese Taipei 20-19 in the shoot-off. In the final, it was Kim's turn to carry the team. Lim started off with an 8, but Kim hit a 10 to avert a disaster. They won the opening set 38-35 to go up 2-0. With her second arrow of the second set, Lim scored another 8, but Kim followed with a 9 to ensure a 36-35 win for South Korea, which now led 4-0. Clearly off her game on this windy day, Lim started the third set with an 8. Kim backed her up with a 9. Lim bounced back by hitting a 9 with her second arrow. Kim only needed to match that 9 to give South Korea a tie in the set and the one final point for the gold medal. But he hit this third 10 of the final just for good measure. Though he did the heavy lifting in the final, Kim was effusive in his praise of Lim. "She must have been under a lot of pressure but she really did a tremendous job," Kim said. "I won this medal all thanks to Si-hyeon. I am very grateful." Lim, 11 years Kim's junior at 21, said Kim helped put her mind at ease. "He kept telling me not to worry about mistakes because he would have my back," Lim said. "I could really lean on him throughout the day." In the quarterfinals, South Korea beat Italy 6-2, winning the final three sets after dropping the opener. Kim hit nothing but 10s with his final six arrows. "He was incredible," Lim said with a smile. "I was honored to be on the same team with someone like him." With the team events all finished, Kim and Lim will now chase individual glory. Medal matches for the women's individual event are set for Saturday, followed by the men's competition on Sunday. All six South Korean archers -- three men and three women -- have made it to the round of 16. There could be all-Korean duels in the semifinals in both events. "I think whoever enjoys the competition will win a medal," Lim said. "I'll try to have some fun." Kim has more at stake than Lim. The mixed team gold was his fourth ca reer gold medal, tying him with former archer Kim Soo-nyung and former pistol shooter Jin Jong-oh for the most gold medals by a South Korean summer Olympian. "They are both retired, but I have no plans to retire just yet," Kim Woo-jin said with a smile. "This is my third Olympic Games but I haven't won an individual medal yet. Now that I have an opportunity to win it, I want to make the most of it." Source: Yonhap News Agency