Seoul celebrating blind archer's world record
Seoul (AsiaNews) - South Korea celebrated the first two world records set in the London Olympics. In an almost empty stadium, archer Im Dong-hyun, who is visually impaired, scored a 72-arrow mark of 699 points, breaking the old world record, which he held. He also joined teammates Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin-hyek to record a new best in the team event, 216-arrow mark of 2,087.
Im Dong-hyun, 26, is a hero at home. A two-medal winner in Athens and Beijing, he has 20/100 and 20/200 vision in his right and left eyes respectively, making him legally blind.
He became involved in archery when he was ten, after a teacher gave him a toy arch. His skills and memory are such that he can hit a target the size of a grapefruit.
Although he could have surgery to improve his eyesight, he has decided to put it off until 2020 when he plans to retire from competitions.
Im said he does not need contact lenses or glasses to compete because what count is not the clarity of the target but the "feel" for it, which is something one develops with hard work.
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