Three Korean women swept the gold, silver, and bronze medals in archery at the Sydney Olympic Games for the second time since the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games on Tuesday. Yun Mi-jin, 17, became the fifth consecutive Korean woman to win the gold medal in the women's individual archery championship at the Sydney Olympic Park on Tuesday. She followed the steps of gold medallists Seo Hyang-soon (1984 L.A.), Kim Soo-nyung (1988 Seoul), Cho Yoon-jeong (1992 Barcelona) and Kim Kyong-uk (1996 Atlanta).

Yun defeated compatriot Kim Nam-soon, 20, in the last four ends with the target placed 70 meters away with a score of 107 to 106. In the first half of the final match, had Kim led had by one point with 55 to 54 but her last shot marked a nine and failed to get her a tie break. In everyday life, Yun is no different from her friends as she listens to the songs of pop singer Yoo Seung-jun and watches television every night. But once she is on the field, her concentration is evident as she relishes her matches.

The Seoul Olympic gold and Barcelona silver medallist, Kim Soo-nyung, 30, who had made news with her surprising come back this year took the bronze beating North Korean archer Choe Ok-sil 103 to 101. Kim consoled Choe after the match but failed to stop the tears of the young North Korean. Choe played a critical role in helping the three South Koreans sweep the three medals as she defeated world's 12th player and the 1995 World Champion Natalia Valeeva of Italy in the quarter finals. Had Choe not beaten Valeeva, the South Korean archery team had feared Kim Nam-soon would be at a disadvantage due to her young age and lack of experience in international games.

(Kwon Sang-eun, sekwon@chosun.com)