Ki Bo-bae

Lore & Background

Ki Bo-bae was introduced to archery at age eleven when the sport was offered by her primary school. By 2010 she was a member of the South Korean national team. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, her first Olympic appearance, she tied for the top seed in the women's individual ranking round with 671 points and secured the number one seed on countback. She won gold in the women's team event with Lee Sung-jin and Choi Hyeon-ju, delivering the final arrow that secured victory by a single point. In the individual final against Mexico's Aída Román, the match went to a one-arrow shoot-off after a 5–5 tie; both shot into the 8-ring, but Ki's arrow was judged closer to the center, awarding her the gold medal. She later apologized for shooting an eight, stating that 'Koreans do not shoot eights.'

In 2014, after shooting poorly in national trials, Ki was not selected for the national team for the first time in four years. She initially felt relief at the freedom from the strict training regimen but later acknowledged she had 'relaxed too much' and lost mental focus. Watching the Asian Games as a commentator motivated her to return, and in 2015 she finished first in national trials. At the 2015 Summer Universiade she set a world record of 686 points for the 72-arrow round, surpassing Park Sung-hyun's eleven-year-old record. She also won the women's individual and mixed team golds at that event, and later that year became the women's recurve world champion at the World Archery Championships.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ki was the sole returning member from South Korea's 2012 team. She won her third Olympic gold in the women's team event with Choi Mi-sun and Chang Hye-jin, securing South Korea's eighth consecutive Olympic women's team title. Her bid to defend her individual title ended in the semifinals against Chang, and she won bronze by defeating Alejandra Valencia. Ki held the world record for the women's 72-arrow round from 2015 to 2017 and twice held the position as women's world number one in the World Archery Rankings.

Reader's Guide

Ki Bo-bae's career is defined by sustained excellence across multiple Olympic cycles and world championships. Her four Olympic medals—three gold and one bronze—place her among the most decorated archers in Olympic history. She was the winner of the women's team and individual events at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics she added a third team gold and an individual bronze. Beyond the Olympics, she achieved gold medals at the World Archery Championships, becoming the women's recurve world champion in 2015, as well as at the Asian Games and the Summer Universiade. She is a three-time winner at the Archery World Cup finals. From 2015 to 2017 she held the world record score for the women's 72-arrow round and twice held the position as the women's world number one. Her ability to return to the national team after a year of non-selection in 2014 and immediately set a world record and win a world title demonstrates her resilience. Ki has expressed interest in working with Paralympic athletes, teaching disabled children, and joining the International Olympic Committee to assist future South Korean bids to host the Summer Olympics. She married in November 2017 and served as a torchbearer for the 2018 Winter Olympics torch relay.

Did You Know?

• Ki Bo-bae won her first Olympic gold medal in the women's team event at the 2012 Summer Olympics by a single point, shooting the final arrow.
• She set a world record of 686 points for the women's 72-arrow round at the 2015 Summer Universiade.
• Ki was not selected for the South Korean national team in 2014 after shooting poorly in trials, but returned in 2015 to become world champion.
• She married in a ceremony held two months after winning her third Archery World Cup in September 2017.