Blind Archer Im Dong Hyun Of Korea Sets First World Record Of London Olympics

According to CNN.com, the first world record of the London Olympics has been set by South Korean archer Im Dong Hyun, 26, who delivered a stunning 699, edging out his compatriots on the team. The team, as a whole, delivered a groundbreaking score of 2,087, which places the team far ahead of the field. Hyun, legally blind, struggles to read a newspaper and has only ten percent vision in his left eye and twenty percent in his right.

Im Dong Hyun was able to advance beyond his own previous score, impressive as it is. He is said to be able to (according to SI.com) he sees colors with blurred lines between them. This helps to distinguish the target areas, to the point where wearing glasses to improve his vision would only remove his competitive edge. This landmark performance by the young Korean opens up the Olympic games nicely, and sets the stage for the incredible competition that lies ahead. Im had the following to say, regarding his tremendous accomplishment, "This is just the first round, so I will not get too excited by it."

Some have voiced concern that the archery ompetition aspect of this year's summer Olympics did not allow spectators, however; as per statements made (via USAToday) by a spokeswoman for the Olympics the committee has "always made it clear" that tickets would not be available for the early competition portion of the games.