Archery: World number one Kim knocked out in huge upset

Aug 09, 2016 Sports

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) South Korea’s world number one Kim Woo-jin was sent crashing out of the second round of the men’s individual archery at the Rio Olympics on Monday by unheralded Indonesian Riau Ega Agatha, sending shockwaves through the tournament.
Kim, who won gold in the team event on Saturday and set a 72-arrow world record in the ranking round the day before, was tipped to vie with his compatriots for the individual title but succumbed to a 6-2 loss on a breezy afternoon at the Sambodromo.
“I’m in shock,” the downcast 24-year-old, nicknamed ‘Bear’ in his home country, told reporters. “I don’t blame anything or anyone, I just regret not doing well today. “The past four years I prepared a lot. I feel really great about getting the gold medal for the team event, but for the individual one I regret much about myself, because I prepared a lot and it’s all gone now.”
Kim’s exit leaves Brady Ellison, a member of the United States team that lost the title-decider to the Koreans, as the highest seed in the tournament.
Ega Agatha, a 24-year-old from Surabaya in East Java province, lost the opening set but stunned Kim in the next three, slamming the door shut with two brilliant shots that landed flush in the gold target for two perfect scores.
As a modest crowd in the terraces roared, Kim slumped with his head down while his team mates looked on in dismay.
Ega Agatha flashed a huge grin and high-fived his coach after setting up a third-round match with Italy’s Mauro Nespoli.
BIG SURPRISE
The Indonesian, ranked 29th in the world, had never beaten Kim in several previous attempts, but has had some success against the top Koreans at World Cup events.
“It’s a very big surprise for me but I have to stay focused to face another (competitor),” he told reporters.
“I expected that I would win (a match) today but just not too many because Woo-jin is the number one (archery) athlete in the world. But I did it today.”
The Indonesia team’s chef de mission Raja Oktohari was a thrilled spectator in the terraces and said the win would create waves in the steamy Southeast Asian nation. “All Indonesia will be shocked,” he said.
“It will be euphoria for us but, of course, we still have another game to prepare. And (he) has to focus, so the euphoria only lasts half an hour.”

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