Legally blind archer breaks his world record

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This article was published 28/07/2012 (5046 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SOUTH KOREA’S legally blind archer didn’t do any celebrating after setting the first world records of the Olympics.

Im Dong-hyun broke the 72-arrow mark with 699 points in men’s archery Friday. He held the previous world record with 696 points. He also took part in the team shoot, teaming with Kim Bub-min and Oh Jin-hyek.

Blurry, it seems, is more familiar to Im as he aims at the grapefruit-size yellow target centre about 70 metres away.

“This is just the first round, so I will not get too excited by it,” said Im, who doesn’t wear glasses.

The South Korean team also broke the world record, scoring 2,087 points with 216 arrows. The South Koreans set the previous world record, 2,069, in Turkey in May.

‘Help mummy to shoot’

LONDON — She’s shooting for two.

A Malaysian woman who is eight months pregnant will compete in 10-metre air rifle at the London Games. She found out she would be a mother just days after she found out she would be an Olympian.

Nur Suryani Mohammed Taibi is due in September. Feeling some of mom’s Olympic excitement, the baby is kicking, and between deep breaths Taibi will ask her unborn child for restraint during competition Saturday.

“I will breathe in and breathe out and try to calm myself down and talk to baby: ‘Behave yourself and help mummy to shoot.’ And luckily she understands, she always understands,” Taibi was quoted as saying Friday.

Being pregnant means the 29-year-old Taibi has to get in and out of a special suit and belt for practice, but that is only one challenge: She is also drawing overwhelming attention that threatens her concentration ahead of competition today.

Nike donates uniforms

LONDON — Egypt’s Olympic team won’t be wearing Chinese knockoffs at the London Games, after all.

Two days after the country’s Olympic committee chairman said he had opted for fakes because the real thing was too expensive, Nike said Friday it was donating gear to the Egyptian athletes.

Egypt’s committee chairman admitted earlier this week the committee decided to go cheap because the designer sports labels, whose goods can range in price from $300 to $500 per athlete, were not affordable, given Egypt’s precarious economy.

Spanish players regroup

GLASGOW — A day after the shock of their loss to Japan that put a dent in their Olympic gold-medal chances, Spanish players hoped to use the opening ceremony Friday to get their minds off the defeat and focus for their next match Sunday against Honduras.

The under-23 team, which had been touted as a medal favourite, left Glasgow for London to join up with the rest of Spain’s Olympic athletes after losing 1-0 at Hampden Park on Thursday. The result threatens the country’s attempt to simultaneously hold the World Cup, European Championship and Olympic titles.

— from the news services