Lim Si-hyeon, left, and Kim Woo-jin of South Korea celebrate their victory over Germany in the archery mixed team final at the Paris Olympics at Invalides in Paris, Aug. 2. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
“The weakest team ever.”
This was the assessment of Team Korea prior to the start of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
With Korea failing to advance past the preliminaries in all ball games except women's handball, Team Korea sent 145 athletes to compete in 22 events, the smallest delegation since the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where Korea had 50 athletes. The initial medal target was set at five golds, according to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.
However, the gloomy forecast was proven wrong, and the team pleasantly surprised the public.
The team won 32 medals, including 13 golds. This is the first time in 12 years that South Korean athletes have won more than 30 medals in a single Olympics.
Many of the medals were won in shooting, fencing and archery.
On July 27, the day after the opening ceremony, as competition began in earnest, Park Ha-jun and Keum Ji-hyeon won a silver medal in the 10-meter air rifle mixed event, earning Team Korea its first medal.
The following day, Oh Sang-uk won the men's individual fencing sabre event, as anticipated, delivering Korea's first gold medal. He later secured another gold in the men's sabre fencing team event.
In shooting, Oh Ye-jin won a gold medal and Kim Ye-ji earned a silver medal in the women's 10-meter air pistol event.
Oh Ye-jin, left, and Kim Ye-ji of Korea hold up their respective gold and silver medals in the women's 10-meter air pistol shooting event at the Paris Olympics at Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, France, July 28. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Notably, Korea won gold medals in all five archery events: men's and women's team events, mixed events, and men's and women's individual events. Kim Woo-jin and Lim Si-hyeon each secured three medals, with Kim becoming the most decorated South Korean Olympian by achieving a total of five career gold medals.
Ban Hyo-jin, a 16-year-old shooter, captured Korea's historic 100th gold medal in the Summer Olympics and became the country's youngest gold medalist.
An Se-young won the gold medal in women's singles badminton, marking Korea's first badminton singles title in 28 years. However, amid the celebrations, An sparked controversy by sharply criticizing the national team's handling of injuries and training programs.
In table tennis, rookie Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hoon won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles event, marking the first medal in 12 years in that sport. Shin later secured another bronze in the women's team event.
Korea also earned medals at taekwondo, including a gold by Park Tae-joon.
Team Korea's results, far exceeding the initial goal, are attributed to standout performances by athletes in their late teens and early 20s, including Ban Hyo-jin, Oh Ye-jin, Yang Ji-in, Park Tae-joon, and taekwondo player Kim Yu-jin.
Kim Yu-jin of South Korea celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's -57-kilogram taekwondo event at the Paris Olympics at Grand Palais in Paris, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Some notable moments during the 17-day Olympics included South and North Korean athletes standing together on the victory stands. Viral images of table tennis players from both Koreas taking a selfie together showcased rare cross-border unity and were selected by American media outlet People as a major example of sportsmanship.
However, apart from those brief moments, North Korean athletes were rarely seen interacting or speaking with their South Korean counterparts.
Meanwhile, during the opening ceremony, the Olympic organizers mistakenly introduced South Korea as North Korea in both English and French.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach spoke with President Yoon Suk Yeol to apologize for the error.