Stings and arrows: Archer hits bullseye despite bee bother

Archery athlete Kim Je-deok prepares to shoot during the semifinal of the men’s archery team event in Paris on Monday. (Joint Press Corps)

Kim Je-deok remained calm and shot a perfect arrow despite a bee landing on the back of his hand during the men’s archery team event at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

The bee distraction occurred during the semifinal against China. While the first set ended in a tie at 54 points apiece, South Korea rebounded in the second set, scoring 57 to China’s 53.

The third set was crucial, as a victory would secure South Korea’s spot in the final.

With the score at 36-53 and only two arrows remaining, Kim stepped up to the line.

As he prepared to shoot, a bee began buzzing around him. Initially, he tried to wave it away and continued his routine, but the bee returned to land on his right hand.

An Olympic heart rate monitor showed Kim's pulse remained steady at around 80 beats per minute, a typical resting heart rate for an adult.

Teammate Kim Woo-jin followed with another 10, sealing South Korea’s spot in the final. The Korean archers eventually won the gold medal, marking their third consecutive Olympic victory.

“As I approached the shooting line, a bee appeared,” Kim Je-deok explained during a press interview on Monday. “I shooed it away but it followed me. When it landed on my hand, I reminded myself, ‘This is the Olympics,’ and I couldn’t lower my arms. I had a strong determination to shoot.”

He added that he had a gut feeling he would score a 10.

South Korean archers undergo specialized training to help them stay calm and focused even in extreme conditions such as wind, noise and distractions.

Kim’s calmness in the face of distraction impressed viewers.

“How much training did he need to stay calm and shoot a 10 with a bee on his hand?” read a comment on an online article about Kim's encounter with the bee on the portal giant Naver.

On Monday, South Korea clinched its third consecutive gold medal in the men’s archery team event, defeating France 5-1 in the final.

At just 17, Kim Je-deok won gold medals in the men’s team and mixed events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the youngest Korean male archery gold medalist. As of Tuesday, he has three Olympic medals.

By Song Seung-hyun(ssh@heraldcorp.com)