A ranking competition for male archers was held in Jumenosima Park on Friday, early in the afternoon local time. The 64 competitors greeted the heat, among whom László Mátyás Balogh was the only Hungarian. What else you need to know about archery: the starters shoot from 70 meters, a total of 72 arrows in 12 rounds, so the maximum score can be 720 points.
Approaching Jumenosima Park didn’t seem like an impossible task (it’s only half an hour from the media center), but our bus driver stopped on the way. At an intersection, despite the green light and the almost wailing waving of the police, he refused to turn around, playing a wait-and-see tactic. It is characteristic of the mentality of the Japanese that the participants of the makeshift traffic jam behind us did not lie on the horn, patiently waiting their turn.
After getting off the bus, we underwent the mandatory procedure: thermometer, hand disinfection, accreditation card and bag check, metal detector. After getting in, it was possible to head in several directions, and since there was no volunteer nearby, everyone went where they could see. The unfortunate colleagues went around the whole stadium, but we chose a good path, so we arrived right next to the field, where Mátyás Balogh had already warmed up.
The archers faced high UV radiation and heat due to the early afternoon time. Team doctor József Toman emphasized our interest: proper hydration is extremely important in such cases, but they are prepared for everything. The first series went well, with Mátyás Balogh shooting for 27th place with 55 laps.
After the third series, the 21-year-old archer was 37th, but in the fourth he shot a 49, so he fell back and was in the 55th position in the break after the sixth series. After a brief update, the seventh series became weaker again, slipping into a 49-lap result. From here, Mátyás Balogh could no longer fight back, who ended up in 6th place in the 64-man field with 632 laps.
All this means that Kim Vu Jin, who finished 4th in the rankings in Tuesday’s first round, will be his opponent. The South Korean rider is a four-time world champion (twice in individual, twice in team), Olympic champion (won in a team in Rio) and Olympic top holder (700 points, Rio 2016) – Balogh will have a very difficult task.
I felt good compared to the first Olympics. It was very unusual, even though I was already in an international competition. Lots of cameras, lots of journalists, it was surprising, my attention was missed a bit at the beginning. It was extremely hot, it was the hottest since my stay here. Plus, the wind was blowing, even changing its direction in a row, it was very hard to deal with it. My technique was good, we practiced it, I could do it, the rhythm should have been kept better
– He told Balogh Matthias after the ranking competition for the Index and then we asked for a continuation on Tuesday as well.
It depends on a lot, the wind will play a part. In the meantime, I also had to change commas today, and as it turned out, that was the problem. As the wind direction changes, I always have to aim elsewhere. There were times when the flag blew from left to right, I also aimed there, but it still didn’t go the way I expected. What I was most concerned with was keeping the movement in me and making the movement from behind. Tomorrow we will continue to practice, we have to get used to the weather. We’ll see what we can get out of it, we want the best
– closed the Hungarian archer, who can be seen next Tuesday in the first round.
TOKYO 2020
ARCHING, MEN, RANKING COMPETITION
1. Kim Tshe Deok (South Korea) 688 rounds
2. Brady Ellison (American) 682
3. Oh Jin Jek (South Korea) 681
… 61. LÁSZLÓ MÁTYÁS BALOGH 632
(Cover image: Archer Mátyás Balogh at the men’s ranking competition at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in Jumenosima Archery Park on July 23, 2021, the opening day of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics postponed to 2021 due to the global coronavirus epidemic. Photo: Tibor Illyés / MTI )
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