SOUTH KOREA’S Kim Je-deok almost had his Olympic dream ruined by a bee at the worst possible moment.
The archer competed in the men’s archery team event in Paris on Monday.
Kim and his team-mates made it to the semi-finals as they looked to win South Korea’s third consecutive gold medal in the event.
However, they trailed in the third set against China with two arrows remaining to secure victory.
As Kim lined up to aim at the target, though, a bee started buzzing around him.
He could be seen attempting to wave it away as he continued his routine, only for the insect to land on his right hand.
Despite the distraction, an Olympic heart rate monitor showed Kim’s pulse remained steady at around 80 beats-per-minute.
His composure proved pivotal as he pinned the bullseye with a perfect shot to score 10.
Team-mate Kim Woo-jin followed with another 10 to clinch the win and a place in the final.
Speaking afterwards, Kim told reporters: “As I approached the shooting line, a bee appeared.
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“I shooed it away but it followed me. When it landed on my hand, I reminded myself, ‘This is the Olympics,’ and I couldn’t lower my arms. I had a strong determination to shoot.”
Remarkably, Kim later landed gold as South Korea beat France 5-1 in the final.
It follows their victory in the women’s team event earlier in Paris.
Fans spotted bees causing problems for several archers during the events.
Another archer also saw one of the insects land on their hand as they took a shot during a separate match.
Kim previously won gold aged 17 in the men’s team and mixed events three years ago in Tokyo.
He is now a three-time gold medallist at 20-years-old and could still add a fourth.
The last 64 of the men’s individual competition sees Kim face South Africa’s Wian Roux on Wednesday night.
