Park Sung-hyun comes through in clutch
ATHENS, Greece -- Trailing by 26 points with three arrows left, South Korea turned to Park Sung-hyun to keep its streak of women's archery dominance alive.
Park hit nine and then eight, and needed a 10 for victory on the final shot of the match.
The Olympic champion didn't miss.
Park shot a 10 on the last arrow of the women's team competition Friday at Panathinaiko Stadium, giving South Korea a 241-240 win over China and its fifth consecutive gold medal in the event. The Koreans have won the gold at every games since the team event was added to the Olympic program in 1988 in Seoul and all 11 women's archery golds since their first appearance in the sport in 1984.
Park defeated teammate Lee Sung-jin in the final to win the individual gold on Wednesday. Their third teammate, Yun Mi-jin, won the individual gold in Sydney in 2000.
China shot three nines in its last end, opening up a 26-point lead over the Koreans, who had three arrows left. Park, the 2001 world champion and 2003 runner-up, delivered the 27 points needed to give South Korea another archery gold.
Taiwan defeated France 242-228 to win the bronze.
In Olympic archery, competitors stand 70 meters from targets, which is 122-centimeters in diameter. The 10-point ring on the target is 12.2 centimeters (4.8 inches) in diameter.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press
