Blind Archer Sets Olympic Record – Already!
It’s only the first day of the Olympic Games, and records are already being broken.
Im Dong Hyun of South Korea has set the official record to beat in the 72-arrow archery competition. His score of 699 points has set the bar and beaten previous records in the event.
What’s so impressive about this particular record? It’s not unusual for South Korea to dominate the event – they took the gold at both the 2008 Beijing and 2004 Athens Games.
Well, Im is legally blind. He has about 10% vision in his left eye and 20% in his right. According to the Los Angeles Times, Im has said that “when he looks at the targets, he sees colors with blurred lines and aims by distinguishing between the bright colors of the target.”
We think that’s pretty astonishing, but Im won’t let himself celebrate too early, telling reporters “This is just the first round, so I will not get too excited by it.”
Let the games begin!