The gold medal was within reach for American archer Brady Ellison in the men's individual event at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday. But in the end, South Korea's Kim Woojin was the one who took home the gold.
Ellison and Kim remained tied 5-5 after five sets in the final to take the match to a shoot-off. Kim went up first and shot a 10, and then Brady narrowly missed out on the gold medal after he shot a 9. Still, it was an incredible achievement for Ellison as he won two medals in Paris — silver in men's individual and bronze in mixed team.
"If Messi and Ronaldo are the best in soccer, then maybe we are the duo in archery," Kim said of him and Ellison.
Brady now has three silver and two bronze medals in his Olympic career, dating back to the 2012 Games in London.
Losing gold did not upset Ellison, a five-time Olympian, who said he valued the skills gained by competing against the world's best, calling the process "steel sharpening steel."
"When I go to a tournament, I know who I'm going to be shooting against," Ellison said. "Those are the guys I compare myself to."
Ellison and Kim acknowledged that Paris may not be the last time they meet.
"I think we're going to do a rematch in LA," Ellison said, referencing the 2028 Games.
South Korea's dominance
South Korea also took bronze as Lee Wooseok defeated Germany's Florian Unruh in the bronze medal match. And en route to his gold medal, Kim knocked out defending champion Mete Gazoz 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Kim completed a South Korean sweep of the Paris Olympic archery titles after winning the individual men's gold.
South Korea cemented its status as archery supremos with its fifth Paris gold medal, adding to the women's individual title and the three team golds — in men's, women's and mixed.
Reuters contributed to this report