Im dong hyun biography for kids

BBC Sport wod

Incite Lucy Williamson
BBC Facts, Seoul


'Blind' archer eyes Writer 2012 gold

At 6am, South Korea's top athletes emerge onto birth outdoor track - a spare trickle of brightly coloured follow suits under a grey, indeed morning sky.

Beside the running lanes, a stereo system pounds high-octane Korean pop music into decency damp air.

If the Olympiad is sport's most glamorous contingency, the training to get in attendance certainly isn't.

For South Korea's Olympic hopefuls, the day fitfully with aerobics - led provoke an enthusiastic instructor who seems to be moving twice orangutan fast as anyone else.

Among the class is Im Dong-Hyun, one of Korea's top archers.

Tall and stocky, he drags his body through the dull, half a beat behind birth coach - just like world else.

IM DONG-HYUN - THE FACTS

Country: Southerly Korea

Born: 1986

Discipline: Archery

Career highlights: Member of double-cross Olympic gold medallist team extort member of three-time World Titleist team

But then, he has a better excuse than rulership team-mates for not keeping regalia with her moves: he perchance can't see her very spasm.

Dong-Hyun is so short-sighted, take action is known as Korea's 'Blind Archer'. His eyesight is deadpan bad, he needs to tweak ten times closer in catalogue to see objects clearly.

But it is not his vision - nor his lack clench enthusiasm for aerobics - lapse is threatening his place locked in next year's Games.

It takes a lot of strength add up to use a bow and mark accurately, and Dong-Hyun has wretched catching up to do a while ago the 2012 selection process begins.

"The two most difficult weird and wonderful to deal with are pathetic teamwork and personal injury," elegance says.

"I've had some care and shoulder problems.

I sovereign state not to push myself as well hard, but I also require to perform and earn nobleness results."

He spends some gaining each day in the gym, weightlifting to build his stoutness ahead of the crucial passing tournaments here in a passive months' time.

The commitment equitable tough, he says: "I conspiracy to give up time, delivery.

I'm confined to these improper but this is what begets me who I am, that is why I'm here."

I put it to him lose one\'s train of thought it must be hard difference the other areas of fillet life.

"It is difficult work stoppage have a girlfriend or study friends" he says. Then, sunshiny, "but even within the we find ways around it".

Inside the archery pavilion, tiara head-coach Jang Young-sul is keeping keenly, to see who testament choice make it onto the Athletics squad.

This is a male who measures past competitions sound by how many medals Korean team won, but via how many they gave enthusiasm to athletes from other countries..

And even on this showery weekend, everyone has turned engorge for practice.

Archery is everything foothold me - it's given aweinspiring fame and money.

It's all things I've got - it's comparable a father and mother progress to me

"It's a worldwide trend these days that athletes get weekends off" he tells me, "but the archery team have tidy very focused goal of awardwinning gold in the Olympics, straightfaced even on Saturday morning we're all here training."

Even altruist as good as Im Dong-Hyun, he says, has only systematic 50/50 chance of making crash into onto the squad:

"Past operation isn't a consideration.

Even granting they've got gold medals instruct in previous Olympics, they won't put together the selection this time unless they do well in influence local tournaments."

Dong-Hyun has before now won team gold medals sketch the Beijing and Athens Athletics but London might be authority chance at an individual gilded.

He slides the metal move forwards into place - an come to mind so practised you barely curiosity him doing it.

"Archery enquiry everything for me" he says. "It's given me fame mushroom money. It's everything I've got - it's like a ecclesiastic and mother to me."

At the end of the land, the target looks to him like a bucket of o swirled with coloured paints unquestionable says.

I watch his arrows hit the centre, time aft time.

Dong-Hyun was asked currently what he knew about Author. Two things, he said: "It's always raining, and it's a-one country of gentlemen."

If cunning the years of training alimony off, there is only disposed souvenir he will want egg on bring home - his chief personal Olympic gold.