The 17-year-old Kim is tipped for a bright future as he became the youngest person to ever win an Olympic gold medal in Korea s archery team history. With the latest feat, he will automatically receive exemption from his mandatory military service. Korea s male athletes who win any Olympic medal are exempted from national military service.
If it hadn t been for COVID-19 pushing the Tokyo Olympics back a year, Kim would have given up his chances to compete for his homeland. Stymied by a shoulder injury, he originally withdrew from the selection match for the national team in 2019. However, the unprecedented one-year postponement has given him another chance to play for the national team.