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By Yoo Jee-ho
TOKYO, July 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean teenager Kim Je-deok won the men's ranking round at the Tokyo Olympic archery competition Friday, putting himself on a quest for three gold medals this month.
Kim shot 688 out of a possible 720 points on 72 arrows at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in the Japanese capital. The 17-year-old finished six points ahead of American Brady Ellison.
South Korean archer Kim Je-deok competes in the men's ranking round at the Tokyo Olympics at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo on July 23, 2021. (Yonhap)
Two other South Koreans were next: Oh Jin-hyek at 681 points and Kim Woo-jin at 680 points.
Thanks to the trio's combined score of 2,049 points, South Korea earned the top seed for the men's team event.
Earlier Friday, An San, Jang Min-hee and Kang Chae-young finished 1-2-3 in the women's ranking round, with the 20-year-old An setting an Olympic record with 680 points.
As South Korea's top performers in the ranking rounds, An and Kim Je-deok will compete in the inaugural mixed team event Saturday. With 1,368 combined points, the South Korean duo will be the top seed in the 16-team tournament.
South Korean archer Oh Jin-hyek (L) competes in the men's ranking round at the Tokyo Olympics at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo on July 23, 2021. (Yonhap)
The two will also be in their respective team and individual events, meaning they both have an opportunity to become the first archer ever to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.
"The wind blew a little harder than yesterday's practice, but I wanted to stay aggressive and shoot with confidence," Kim said afterward. "I think I've done the mixed event once before at an international tournament. But both An San and I have been practicing hard for the Olympics, and I believe all that work will pay off."
Archers took 36 arrows in each of the two halves. Kim, in his first Olympics, was at the top with 345 points after the first half. He capped off his impressive day with six straight 10s.
The high school athlete is the only member of the South Korean men's team without prior Olympic experience. Oh is the 2012 Olympic individual champion who also won the team bronze medal at the same competition. Kim Woo-jin was on the gold medal-winning team at the 2016 Olympics.
South Korean archer Kim Woo-jin (L) competes in the men's ranking round at the Tokyo Olympics at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo on July 23, 2021. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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