Soo-Nyung KIM

Local hero

At the 1988 Seoul Games, Kim was one of the heroes of the Korean team. Aged just 17, she won gold medals in the individual and team events. She maintained her remarkable standard over the following years, winning double golds at the 1989 and 1991 World Championships.

Early retirement

Four years later in Barcelona, Kim earned the silver medal in the individual event and took home another gold medal in the team event. With so little left to prove, Kim decided to retire. Despite being only 21 years old, she was already considered to be the greatest female archer ever.

Raising a family

Over the next seven years, Kim married, and raised two children. This left her rivals to step out of her shadow and her dominant reign seemed to have ended.

Golden comeback

Kim couldn’t resist a comeback. She returned to training in 1999 and qualified for the Olympic team for the 2000 Sydney Games. This time she won bronze in the individual event but capped off her fairytale return with a gold medal in the team event.