London, England: If the International Olympic Committee was looking for some genuine “Excellence, Friendship and Respect” to restore their faith in the Olympic values after some recent unsavoury incidents, the women’s individual archery finals on Thursday provided the perfect response. First, the venue: the magnificent Lord’s Cricket Ground – a tourist attraction in itself in leafy St John’s Wood, just a short walk from the Abbey Road zebra crossing made famous by The Beatles album cover.

Second, the weather: sunny and warm, with bright blue skies and an occasional breeze; perfect for the spectators but tricky for the competitors. Third, the spectators: a packed house, flags of various countries in the stands, and in particular those of Korea and Mexico for the final between Ki Bo Bae and Aida Roman.

Not only this, they were supportive and appreciative of all athletes, silent at the right times and exploding with applause and cheers as the tournament progressed and the pressure built. Ki followed up her gold medal in the women’s team event by winning the individual title after a thrilling tussle with Roman. The final went to a one-arrow shootout, which the Korean - firing first - won as her arrow was nearer the bull’s eye, despite both players hitting the eight-point ring.

When the result was confirmed, Ki ran to the stands to embrace her teammates who had failed to qualify for the semi-finals, while the Mexicans who finished second (Roman) and third (Mariana Avitia) celebrated an unlikely double podium finish that could so easily have been gold. Then the two finalists, with their coaches, returned to the pitch and joined hands above their heads to acknowledge the crowd on a memorable afternoon at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

An emotional Ki struggled to string her sentences together during the official press conference, overcome with joy on one hand but sorrow on the other for her colleagues who could not join her on the podium. The Korean could have won the final on her last arrow in the regulation period, but shot only an 8 when a 9 would have ended the contest.
 
“Before that shot I felt a big wind blowing and I made a miscalculation,” she said. “I was very embarrassed and surprised.” Although she admitted to being extremely lucky to win gold, she acknowledged the most satisfying factor was that she could stand proudly alongside the Koreans who had gone before her in establishing the country as an archery power.