'Archery Legend' Gibo Bae Becomes Alma Mater Professor: "Committed to Popularizing Archery and Nurturing Future Talents"

Starting the "Second Act of Life" as a Sports Science Professor

Olympic archery gold medalist Ki Bo-bae has been appointed as a professor in the Department of Sports Science at her alma mater, Gwangju Women's University.

On the 4th, Gwangju Women's University appointed Olympic archery gold medalist Ki Bo-bae as a professor. The photo shows Professor Ki receiving her appointment certificate. [Image source: Gwangju Women's University · Yonhap News]

On the 4th, Gwangju Women's University announced that it appointed Olympic archery gold medalist Ki Bo-bae as a professor in the newly established Department of Sports Science, created last year to cultivate global sports talents. Since founding its archery team in 2000, Gwangju Women's University has consecutively produced Olympic gold medalists such as Ki Bo-bae, Choi Mi-sun, and An San. Professor Ki graduated from the Department of Elementary Special Education at Gwangju Women's University and is a two-time gold medalist in the women's individual and team archery events at the 2012 London Olympics, as well as a gold medalist in the women's team event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Moreover, she is a legendary Korean archer with a total of 94 gold medals won at domestic and international competitions, including the Asian Games and World Championships. In 2017, she was honored with the Cheongnyong Medal (1st class), the highest grade of the Korea Sports Merit Award.

After earning her Ph.D. in Sports Science in 2022, Professor Ki taught archery courses at the university, educating students. She said, "It is an honor to start a new chapter as a professor at my alma mater," adding, "I will strive to contribute to the development of sports through popularizing archery and nurturing future talents."

Meanwhile, in February, Professor Ki held a retirement press conference as an athlete, expressing her aspiration to "create a culture where anyone can easily access and enjoy archery and to further promote the sport." She is scheduled to serve as a commentator on-site at the Paris Olympics to be held this year.