Archery powerhouse S.Korea has been fully prepared for the Olympic Games, said woman archer Joo Hyun-Jung after a training session at the Olympic Green Archery Field on Monday.
"I have prepared for everything very well because it's the Olympics. I've prepared myself physically by exercising and eating the right food. My body is in very good condition," said the 26-year-old Joo.
On South Korea's biggest rivals during the Games, Joo said: "People say that the biggest rivals may be the Chinese team because this is in China."
In the Athens Games, Chinese women's team finished second to South Korea just by one point in the final.
As for the women's individual event, Joo is optimistic for South Korea's prospect.
"I feel like I can win, but it depends on the conditions. Fifty percent is ability and 50 percent is good fortune," said Joo.
Defending champion Park Sung-Hyun, a quiet person by nature, would not allow the attention and glamour get to his head.
On defending her individual title from the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Park just hedged the topic.
"I'm not focused on the gold medal. I just want to do my best," said Park, who won double gold medals, individual and team, at the Athens Games.
For South Korea's female archers, Olympic gold medals are like family heirlooms--passed down from one generation of competitors to the next.
South Korea's women have created one of the great Olympic dynasties by winning every archery gold medal since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
They are heavy favorites to extend their streak to seventh consecutive Games in Beijing.
Park Sung-hyun and Yoon Ok-hee, who set a 12-arrow world record of 119 points in May, are expected to vie for gold in the individual event, while in the women's team competition South Korea appears untouchable.
In the men's category, South Korea keeps world champion Im Dong-Hyun. For the men's individual, it's a drought for the archery stronghold still.
Looking forward to the Beijing Games, the men's archers from South Korea are focusing on this more than anyone else.
"My target is the gold medal. I have a good sense of shooting," said 22-year-old Im after Monday's training. "I am feeling comfortable and mentally composed."
(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2008)