Legally Blind Archer Im Dong-hyun Starts Olympic Bid In Record-Breaking Fashion
Im Dong-hyn may be legally blind, but he’s also the favorite to win a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Im started his bid for Olympic gold today with a record-breaking round in the 72-arrow mark event.
According to ESPN, Im broke his own record by three points today for a score of 699.
Despite the good start, Im said he’s not getting ahead of himself yet.
Im said:
“This is just the first round, so I will not get too excited by it.”
But Im wasn’t the only record-breaker today. With the help of teammates Kim Bum-min and Oh Jin-hyek, the South Korea team advanced to the second round with a record-breaking 2087 arrows, 18 more than the mark set by the team last May.
Im is 20% blind in his right eye and 10% blind in his left eye. Still, he’s one of the best archers in the world. ESPN reports that the 26-year-old can’t see the lines on the target but he is able to aim his shot due to the bright colors of the boards.
You might be surprised to learn that Im Dong-hyun is in the hunt for a gold medal this year despite the fact that he is legally blind, but you really shouldn’t be. Im already has two gold medals from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
