Archer Unrest misses medal and rejoices
Florian Unruh, already an Olympic silver medalist in the Mixed Team event, makes a strong showing in the individual competition but falls just short in the final two medal duels. However, the athlete isn't too bothered by this.
German archer Florian Unruh narrowly missed out on his second Olympic medal at the Paris Games, losing the bronze medal match in the individual event 0-6 to South Korea's Lee Wooseok. Earlier, the 31-year-old, who lives in Berlin, had won silver in the Mixed event with Michelle Kroppen.
Unruh wasn't too disappointed with his fourth place finish, saying, "It's not frustrating at all. I'm happy to have made it this far." He had some lucky breaks in earlier matches, and even described his fourth place finish as "super."
Praise for his opponents
Unruh's winning streak in the knockout rounds ended in the semifinals against American Brady Ellison, who won 7-3. He then lost to Lee in the bronze medal match. "Brady shot better than me in the semifinals, and Lee shot better in the bronze medal match. They both deserved to win," Unruh said, praising his opponents.
South Korea's Kim Woojin, the top favorite, won gold by defeating Ellison in a thrilling shoot-off. Unruh had experienced a similar thriller in the quarterfinals when he beat Frenchman Baptiste Addis with his last arrow. "It was really impressive and cool," he said about the exciting atmosphere in Paris.
Unruh, who is married to Lisa Unruh, who won silver in the individual event at the 2016 Rio Games and bronze with the team at the 2021 Tokyo Games, was calm after the individual decision. "Having the silver medal already helps," he said. "There was less pressure today." With a fifth place finish in Tokyo and a fourth place in Paris, is the native of Schleswig-Holstein now setting his sights on the next Summer Games in Los Angeles? Unruh smiled and said, "I'll think about what's next in the coming years."
Despite the close calls, Florian Unruh looks forward to competing in the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, aiming to secure his first individual medal. His performance in Paris, although not crowned with gold or silver, has shown his growth and resilience as an athlete.
