South Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's archery individual event at the Paris Olympics at Invalides in Paris, Aug. 3. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

All she does is win gold medals.

South Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon collected her third gold medal of the Paris Olympics on Saturday by winning the women's individual title. She defeated her teammate Nam Su-hyeon 7-3 in the set score at Invalides to complete the hat trick.

Lim had earlier won the women's team and the mixed team gold medals in Paris. But winning three gold medals at a competition is not a strange territory for Lim.

At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Lim also bagged three gold medals, winning the individual, women's team and mixed team titles. She became the first triple gold medalist in Asian Games archery in 37 years.

Less than a year later in Paris, Lim pulled off another trifecta of gold medals.

"It's a huge honor to win three gold medals here, so soon after three gold medals in Hangzhou," Lim said. "I didn't think it could be done."

The mixed team event was added to the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, and South Korea's An San became the first triple gold medalist in Olympic archery history by winning the same set of gold medals as Lim — women's individual, women's team and mixed team.

An, however, didn't even survive the Olympic trials for Paris, an illustration of the deep archery talent pool in the country that has long dominated the sport.

Lim, still only 21, said she wants to be a consistent force. She said her mixed team partner, Kim Woo-jin, is her role model because of his long track record of success.

South Korean archer Lim Si-hyeon, center, poses with her gold medal in the women's archery individual event at the Paris Olympics at Invalides in Paris, Aug. 3. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Kim, 32, is competing in his third consecutive Olympic Games here. He has won four gold medals, tying him with three others for the most Olympic gold medals, summer and winter, by a South Korean athlete.

"I want to be like Woo-jin. I don't know how many athletes can be so good for so long," Lim said. "I will keep learning from him."

Lim said her ignorance of the pressure of high-level competition was bliss at the Asian Games. It was far different in Paris, where she carried the weight of expectations as the new face of South Korean archery.

"When some of the veterans were gone in the Olympic trials, I suddenly became the ace of the team. And I could really feel the pressure," Lim said. "Back in Hangzhou, I was just having fun. But here at the Olympics, I realized just how much pressure the archers that came before me dealt with. And as the top qualifiers from the national team trials, I wanted to represent the country really well."

Lim announced her arrival in Paris by setting the world record with 694 points out of a possible 720 in the ranking round. And with three gold medals in one fell swoop, Lim is just one away from tying the South Korean Olympic record.

But first things first: with her competition over, Lim said she wants to sleep in for a change. The next Olympic Games, in Los Angeles in 2028, aren't on her mind yet.

"The next one is four years later," she said. "I just want to enjoy this a little longer." (Yonhap)