Archers at the Paris 2024 Olympics have had to deal with a distraction they probably weren’t expecting: bees.
As predicted, South Korea have dominated archery at the games, winning gold in the men’s and women’s team events.
Their domination is expected to continue in the individual events which are well underway, as well as the mixed team contest which begins on Friday.
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And they’ll be hoping their Olympics doesn’t involve any more close encounters with some buzzing pests, after eagle-eyed fans spotting some nefarious bees that could have ruined their medal chances.
In a video that’s gone viral on social media, a huge bee lands on the hand of one of the female archers just before she releases her arrow.
Over in the men’s team’s semi-final, Kim Je-deok also had to deal with a pesky bee as he went to take a crucial shot at the end of the match against China.
With just two arrows left, Kim stepped up to the mark and attempted to wave away the insect but instead it landed on his right hand.
Yet he stayed calm and hit a perfect 10 to help his country qualify for the final where they defeated hosts France.
Recounting the bizarre incident, Kim said: ‘As I approached the shooting line, a bee appeared. 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.’
Top archers are of course well-trained to deal with external distractions like noise, wind and rain and – certainly in the case of the South Koreans – irritating insects.
Most remarkably, Kim was fitted with a heart rate monitor which showed that his pulse remained steady at around 80 beats per minute in spite of the bee’s best efforts.
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