South Korean teen archer Kim Je-deok, sole caregiver of ill father, wins 2 gold medals

Bryan Ke
·2 min read
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South Korean teen archer Kim Je-deok took home two gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games and was motivated to win for his ill father.

The details: Kim, 17, won his first gold in the Olympic archery mixed-team with partner An San on Saturday and proceeded to take his second in the men’s team event on Monday, according to Reuters.


  • South Korea’s men’s team, which consisted of Kim, Oh Jinhyek and Kim Woojin, won 6-0 against Taiwan in the grand finals.

  • “Before going into the games, I said to myself, let's not think about medals," Kim told reporters. “Once you get greedy about medals, you have a lot of thoughts in your head, and that will make your body tense."

  • Kim’s shot for a third gold medal at the Tokyo Games fell short in the individual category when he lost to Germany’s Florian Unruh 7-3 in round 32, Korea Times reported.

  • The men’s team won six medals in Olympic events, including the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

  • Kim became South Korea’s youngest gold medalist. He rose to fame after appearing on a South Korean television talent show in 2016.


Backstory: Speaking at the CBS radio show “Kim Hyun Jung's News Show,” Hwang Hyo Jin, the teen archer’s coach, revealed some details about his family situation, AllKpop reported.

  • Hwang said it made her sad when Kim shouted “fighting” before the tournament, explaining, “He shouted 'Fighting' aloud so that he would calm his nerves.”

  • However, Kim’s battle cry proved to be helpful among his teammates, as An San told reporters that it helped her calm her nerves, according to Korea Herald.

  • “He doesn't have a mother and has to take care of his ill father by himself. So I tried to help him as much as I can,” Hwang said, adding the teenager had to do well due to his situation.


Featured Image via World Archery

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