While age is, of course, nothing but a number, it’s a number more difficult to overlook in Kim Ok Geum’s case. The 65-year-old is currently the world number three in women’s W1, having spent most of her career shooting in the compound category.
In Gwangju, Kim won a gold medal in the women’s doubles team event alongside Lee Eunhee, her first world gold medal, on home soil, and one splashed widely across Korean media.
Kim – who only began archery in her fifties – has an unprecedented willingness to work and compete at the very highest level which has led her to multiple team and individual medals ever since her international debut in 2014, including a Paralympic silver team medal. She placed fourth in Paris, one of the oldest Paralympians competing.
It goes to show that attitude is everything in sport. “It’s my first gold medal at the World Championships, so it’s even more precious, and I was moved to tears during the awards ceremony as I remembered the difficult training I went through,” she told Korean news.
“It was especially encouraging that the mayor and the sports association staff came to cheer me on. I will do my best to achieve good results at the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games.”
Not finished, then. Just getting started.
