Quotes of the men’s quarterfinals and medal matches

OH Jin Hyek (KOR) – gold medal   On his gold medal: “I have seen the bronze the other day. It is just one colour difference, but I feel good. I was not expecting this at all. I am very, very surprised. I feel a bit disorientated. I knew I could do it but I wasn’t completely sure. I felt like I was flying out there. It’s strange – I don’t feel like crying at this moment. I expected to cry but now I am just overawed by all the attention that the media is giving me. Because we didn’t get the men’s team gold medal, I tried to make it up today.”   On his teammates: “I am sorry that I was the only one on the podium from my team. However, they will do well in the future I am sure. They will do better next time.”   On his family and friends: “I am very thankful to all of those who have stuck by me all this time. My mother has supported me all along. She is the one who deserves congratulations.”   On his semifinal match against DAI Xiaoxiang (CHN): “I thought that match would not be as difficult as it was. However, I was also surprised that I made it to the final stage. That was the hardest moment.”   On the team event: “We would have liked to get the gold medal for the team. There was a lot of pressure. Everyone expected a gold medal in the teams and we didn’t want to break the tradition of the Korean team winning gold. This was our first mistake. We will practise much harder and get a better result this time. The women did very well. They encouraged us, so I would like to say a big thank you to them.”   On the women’s team: “I have so much gratitude for the women’s team. Although they didn’t have a match, they woke up early with us to come and support us and cheer us on.”   On his performance: “This is my first Olympics. I just had to do it as best as I could. When I was younger, I imagined being a gold medallist at the Olympics. But as the time went by, my results weren’t good enough to make it to the Olympics. It was a long way to come til this moment. I wanted no regret. I shot every arrow as if it were my last. I had a good feeling about my 10s today.”   On the supporters in the crowd: “I could hear them all. It was helpful to hear them. It was not distracting. I think they helped me to get the gold medal.”   On being the only Korean in the quarterfinals: “I hoped to meet KIM Bubmin (KOR) in the quarterfinals to get the pressure off. But then I was the only one left.” On IM (KOR): “It was natural that the media was giving IM Dong Hyun (KOR) all the attention because he is the star. I didn’t feel jealous of him, rather I learned from him as he is more experienced in terms of the Olympics.”   Takaharu FURUKAWA (JPN) - silver    On what he felt after his semifinal win against Rick VAN DER VEN (NED): “When I first won the semifinal it was the decisive moment – I knew that I would get silver or gold so I was elated.”   On missing the gold medal: “Immediately after I lost the final, I was very disappointed that I couldn’t do it, but after that the feeling of happiness gradually came up onto the surface and so I am really happy. This wasn’t just about my contribution. I also feel very grateful to other people for their support, including my coach Teruo SHINKAI.”   On being at his third Olympic Games and how he prepared for it: “At Athens (2004), I was just so happy that I could go there so that was that. At Beijing (2008), I was just too hopeful and excited and trying too much, and so I created pressure on myself. In London, I felt relaxed throughout - I wouldn’t go as far to say I was happy to lose at the Olympics, but there was the feeling of relaxation. I knew what I could expect from London and I felt relaxed from the start.”   Xiaoxiang DAI (CHN) - bronze   On the competition result: “I am very excited. The process was not exactly as I wanted it to be but I still enjoyed the journey.”   On the shoot-off arrow (10): “The wind had a strong effect at the beginning of the match but there was less wind for the final arrow. I didn’t think it would go right into the centre of the target.”   On being involved in a number of shoot-offs: “This is not what I wanted. I am not here just to compete for that one last arrow. Therefore, every time I reached that stage I tried not to think about what my opponents were doing and only think about what I needed to do myself. Those were the thought of my mind every time.”   On what goes through his mind: “I don’t over-think it. I just shoot to the best of my ability. You have to do a lot of mental preparation.”   On his feelings: “I want to share this with my parents and my friends.”   Rick VAN DER VEN (NED) – fourth   On the match: “I think this was the match of my life. When the people were cheering, it was great. Maybe in a week’s time I will realise what I’ve done. I will also take some time off over the next couple of weeks.”   Khairul Anuar MOHAMAD (MAS)   On the score deduction in the first set that gave FURUKAWA (JPN) the advantage: “It didn’t really affect me or my concentraion. FURUKAWA just did better.”   On the conditions: “The wind is playing a crucial part out there. I just tried my best and will try to improve next time.”   On his performance at the Olympic Games: “My goal today was to get to the finals. Unfortunately, I lost, but I will try again.”   KUO Cheng-Wei (TPE)   On his afternoon loss compared to his morning win (6-0 over Markiyan IVASHKO, UKR):
“I didn’t think there was much difference between my performances, but maybe the conditions had changed. I was confused.”   On whether he felt under pressure facing VAN DER VEN (NED): “It doesn’t matter who my opponent is – I will always try my best.”   On the competition: “I am satisfied with how the whole competition has gone for me.”   On pressure: “The pressure is definitely always there but it is up to me to deal with it.”   Viktor RUBAN (UKR)   On his performance: “Do you want to know why I did not win? It is because of this weather, it is windy. The stands are high and cover a part of the field so at the end of the corridor the arrows are affected by the wind. It is just because of the wind.”   KIM Bubmin (KOR)    On how he is feeling: “The pressure is hard to describe. I feel good now because I have done my best and the fact that I have done my best is important. I am happy I was able to be here.”   On his teammate OH Jin Hyek (KOR): “I believe OH will do his best. He will win.”   On being relieved of compulsory military service because of his bronze medal in the team event: “That is the one good thing.”   Source: ONS Edited by World Archery Communication