Cheering Wave for African Archer Who Scored 1 Point Against the Strongest Kim Woojin [Paris Olympics]

Israel Madaye, Who Met Kim Woojin in the Round of 64
From Chad, Africa's Poorest Country
Did Not Wear Protective Gear Such as Chest Guard

Kim Woo-jin (32, Cheongju City Hall), the eldest member of the Korean national archery team, advanced to the round of 16 in the men's individual archery event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, drawing attention to his opponent in the round of 64.

On the 30th, at Les Invalides in Paris, France, Kim Woo-jin defeated Lin Zhi-shang (Taiwan) 6-0 (30-27, 29-28, 30-26) in the round of 32 of the men's individual archery event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, securing his place in the round of 16.

Earlier that day, in his first individual match in the round of 64, Kim Woo-jin defeated Madaje (Chad) from Israel 6-0 (29-26, 29-15, 30-25).

Madaje, Kim Woo-jin’s opponent, lost the first set by 3 points. In the second set, his first arrow scored 6 points, and the second arrow scored 8 points. However, his last arrow in the second set scored only 1 point, bringing his total for the set to 15 points. In the third set, Madaje scored 8, 9, and 9 points for a total of 26 points, but Kim Woo-jin hit all three arrows in the 10-point target, ending the match.

Chad's archer Israel Madaye. [Image source=KBS news footage]

Netizens watching Kim Woo-jin’s match expressed puzzlement over Madaje’s 1-point arrow in an official competition. Since the Olympics gather highly skilled athletes from around the world, scoring only 1 point is rare. Additionally, they found it curious that Madaje did not wear a 'chest guard' (equipment to protect the chest from the bowstring) unlike other players.

Madaje is from Chad, one of the poorest countries in Africa. Chad is a landlocked country located in central Africa and was formerly a French colony.

Only three athletes from Chad participated in this Paris Olympics: Madaje in archery, Demos Memneloum in women's judo 70kg category, and Valentin Betouju in the marathon. Notably, Madaje, who started archery in 2008, is known to be self-taught. This is his first Olympic appearance.

After learning about Madaje’s story, netizens have left supportive comments on his Instagram. They wrote responses such as "You are a great archer," "We support you," "Hope to see you at the next LA Olympics," and "Your spirit of challenge shines. Perhaps you embody the Olympic spirit the most."