Silent Archery 'Eldest Sister' Jeon Hoon-young Shone as Bright as Her Medal

Outstanding Contribution Despite Late Entry... Leading Juniors Without Authority
Achieved 10 Consecutive Team Championships... Chairman Chung Eui-sun Also Expressed Gratitude

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun is seen encouraging national team archers Nam Su-hyun (first from the left), Jeon Hun-young (second from the right), and Lim Si-hyun (first from the right) immediately after the women's individual archery awards ceremony at the Paris competition on the 3rd (local time). (Photo by Korea Archery Association)

The South Korean women's archery national team won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, achieving an unprecedented 10 consecutive victories in the women's team event. This success is attributed to the relentless efforts of each athlete and coaching staff, combined with 40 years of transparent support from Hyundai Motor Group. Additionally, Jeon Hun-young (30), the eldest member of the South Korean women's archery team who competed in the Olympics for the first time after turning thirty, played a significant role.

According to the Korea Archery Association on the 4th, Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group and president of the association, met with Jeon Hun-young immediately after the competition ended the previous day to express his gratitude. Although she did not win a medal in the individual event, she was recognized for abandoning the authoritarian mindset of being a 'senior' and for continuously encouraging and leading the team throughout the competition, playing a major role in the team's legendary success.

Jeon Hun-young had been considered a medal contender since the Tokyo Olympics. However, when the Olympics were unexpectedly postponed by a year due to COVID-19, she lost her spot to younger teammates in the subsequent national team selection. Having had no international competition wins since becoming a two-time champion at the 2014 World University Championships, Jeon had to steel herself and look forward to the next Olympics.

Born in 1994, Jeon Hun-young joined the national team this April and is the eldest by more than ten years compared to teammates Lim Si-hyun (born 2003) and Nam Su-hyun (born 2005). All three were first-time Olympians. Despite being the eldest, Jeon reportedly never asserted herself as a 'senior.'

A representative example was when the team arrived in Paris and assigned accommodations. The rooms were shared by two athletes, with one sharing a room with an athlete from another sport. In Korean culture, the eldest would typically share a room with the youngest, but Jeon volunteered to room with a table tennis player first. When the coaching staff asked, "Is it okay to stay with an athlete from another sport for over ten days, unlike the Taereung training center days?" Jeon readily replied, "If the younger teammates are comfortable, I am too."

She also fulfilled her role as the eldest inside the competition arena. As the first archer in the team event, she shot quickly to buy time for her juniors. In the archery team event, three players each shoot two arrows within 120 seconds per set, totaling six arrows. When the first shooter shoots quickly, the following shooters have more time.

In the women's team final against China on the 28th of last month, she scored 10 points five times. Especially in the shoot-off tiebreaker, she scored 10 points, greatly contributing to winning the gold medal.

In the individual event, although Jeon was eliminated in the semifinals, she fought a close match against gold medalist Lim Si-hyun until the final set.

Thanks to Jeon's performance, the women's archery team not only achieved 10 consecutive gold medals in the team event but also won gold in the mixed team and individual events, securing gold in all categories they entered. Despite all three national team members being first-time Olympians and relatively inexperienced in major competitions, they easily surpassed public expectations.

In an interview in the mixed zone with the press the day before, Jeon said, "There was a lot of worry and concern about the archery team, so the pressure was great, but as a team, I am very satisfied with the excellent results. We worked hard without rest during preparation, so I have no regrets, and I feel relieved above all."

Meanwhile, as of this day, South Korea's archery team has won all four archery gold medals awarded at the 2024 Paris Olympics.