"Kim Woo-jin and the Epic Match 'Yanggung Ajae', He Was DiCaprio in the Past" [Paris Olympics]

In the Archery Final, Fierce Battle with Kim Woo-jin
"The Only Archer Earning Money by Shooting in the US"

In the men's individual archery event at the Paris Olympics, Kim Woo-jin won the gold medal by a narrow margin of 4.9 mm after a shoot-off. Attention is also focused on his final opponent, Brady Ellison (USA). Not only did Ellison demonstrate excellent skills by delivering a nail-biting final match against Kim Woo-jin, but he also sincerely congratulated his opponent after the outcome was decided.

On the 4th (local time), Brady Ellison (left), who competed in the men's individual archery final at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Les Invalides in Paris, France, and a past photo of Brady Ellison (right) posted on an online community
[Image source=Yonhap News, Online Community]

On the 4th (local time), Kim Woo-jin defeated Brady Ellison 6-5 (27-29·28-24·27-29·9-27·0-30 <10-10>) in the men's individual archery final at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Les Invalides in Paris, France. The deciding factor was a difference of 4.9 mm. In the shoot-off, if the score is tied, the winner is determined by comparing the distance from the arrow to the center of the target, with the shorter distance winning. Kim Woo-jin measured 55.8 mm, while Ellison measured 60.7 mm.

After the match was decided, Ellison was seen sincerely congratulating Kim Woo-jin on live broadcast. Ellison clasped Kim Woo-jin's hand and raised them in celebration. They then shared a hug. Afterwards, the coaches from various countries, along with Kim Woo-jin and Ellison, joined hands and raised them in celebration together. At one point, they raised their joined hands toward the camera, and at another, toward the audience, expressing their gratitude.

On the 4th (local time), the medal ceremony for the men's individual archery final at the 2024 Paris Olympics was held at Les Invalides in Paris, France. From the left in the photo: silver medalist Brady Ellison, gold medalist Kim Woo-jin, and bronze medalist Lee Woo-seok. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Ellison, who took home the silver medal, praised Kim Woo-jin during a press conference after the awards ceremony, saying, "Kim Woo-jin is an amazing athlete." According to MyInfo, the official information site operated by the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee, when asked if he thought Kim Woo-jin was the greatest recurve archer of all time, Ellison replied, "He won the gold medal and beat me. Maybe I was just lucky."

He added, "When both of us raise our bows, we would be one of the greatest duos in archery history." Regarding the intense final match, Ellison said, "He is an amazing athlete," and "Watching him in practice, you can tell what he is going to do." He emphasized, "It was the match I had dreamed of. We shot like champions." He also expressed confidence, saying, "I think I will compete against Kim Woo-jin again at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."

Brady Ellison, once known as the 'Korean Killer'

Ellison was once known as the 'Korean Killer' due to his strong performance against Korean archers. He has experience defeating Korean archery teams in the past. Having competed in five consecutive Olympic Games since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he also played a role in defeating Korea in the men's team semifinals at the 2012 London Olympics. At that time, Korea lost to the USA, led by Ellison, and settled for the bronze medal.

In an interview, he said, "(Many Korean archers) enter university after training as archers, and many are professional archers," adding, "In the USA, I am the only archer who makes a living from archery."

Thanks to Allison's performance, an online community post titled "American Archer Uncle Who Defeated Korean Archer Kim Je-deok - Past Photo" attracted attention that day.
[Photo by Online Community 'Theqoo']

Following Ellison's performance, an online community posted a thread titled "American Archer Who Defeated Kim Je-deok in Archery - Past Photo," attracting attention. A netizen who saw the photo commented, "20 years old in 2008, 36 years old in 2024. What happened?" Other netizens showed various reactions such as "The past looks like watching Leonardo DiCaprio," "I didn't expect him to be in his 30s," and "Has there been some drastic change in appearance?" showing their interest.