The Olympic Games are a quadrennial event, so athletes aim to make the most of their opportunity.
Archery athlete Kim Je-deok had to remain composed and deliver a flawless shot even with a bee landing on his hand.
This incident occurred during the men’s archery team event in Paris on Monday (July 29), where Je-deok was representing South Korea.
The bee’s interference took place during the semi-final match against China and was quickly noticed by viewers.
Sharing a video of the bee disturbing South Korea’s women’s archery team on Twitter, the ‘non aesthetic things’ account wrote: “Years of training just for a bee to f**k it all up.”
The first set of Je-deok’s match ended in a 54-point tie.
South Korea, however, made a comeback in the second set, setting the stage for a decisive third set.
Performing well in this set was crucial for Je-deok and his team to secure a place in the final.
With the score at 36-53, Je-deok had two arrows left to shoot.
Just then, a bee started buzzing around him as he was preparing to take his shot.
Despite trying to wave the bee away, it landed on his right hand.
Remarkably, Je-deok managed to shoot the arrow, scoring a perfect ten.
His teammate, Kim Woo-jin, then completed the set with another ten, securing a spot in the final for South Korea.
Subsequently, the Korean archers triumphed against France, winning the gold medal for the third consecutive Olympics.
In a press conference after the event, Je-deok spoke about the bee incident.
“As I approached the shooting line, a bee appeared,” the athlete said.
“I shooed it away but it followed me. When it landed on my hand, I reminded myself, ‘This is the Olympics,’ and I couldn’t lower my arms. I had a strong determination to shoot.”
Je-deok believed he would score a ten, likely due to the rigorous training all South Korean archers undergo.
These athletes are trained to remain calm and focused under extreme conditions and distractions.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Je-deok made history by becoming the youngest Korean male archery gold medalist at just 17 years old.
Now, at 20, he holds three Olympic medals.