Kim Soo Nyung: Career, Early Life & Net Worth
World champion Kim Soo Nyung is a South Korean archer excelling exclusively through her dedication and consistent efforts.
She won six Olympic medals in the span of 12 years of her career, with four golds, one silver, and one bronze.
Currently, the archery whiz is known to be the no. 1 archer in the world and the most decorated Korean archer.
With a quick ladder towards success, Kim undoubtedly exited early from her career.
However, the reigning queen of archery instead made a comeback in 1999 to qualify and compete in the 2000 Olympic Games.
As the most celebrated female archer globally, she has been nicknamed “Viper” for her sharp and extremely accurate shooting skills.
Quick Facts
Before getting into the descriptive informative, let’s look briefly at the player’s bio specifically:
| Full name | Kim Soo Nyung |
| Korean name | 김 수녕 |
| Date of birth | April 5, 1971 |
| Age | [calculate_years datestring=”04/05/1971″] Years Old |
| Birthplace | Chungcheonbuk, South Korea |
| Religion | Buddhist |
| Nationality | Korean |
| Ethnicity | Asian linage |
| Education | Korea University |
| Zodiac sign | Aries |
| Height | 5 feet 5 inches (165cm) |
| Weight | 130 lbs |
| Body Measurement | 29 inches waist 40 inches hip |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Dark Brown |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Net Worth | $3 million |
| Profession | Recurve Archer |
| Profession status | Retired |
| Nickname | Viper |
| Salary | About $100,000 |
| Social Media | Not Available |
| Debut year | 1977 |
| Merch | Arrow, Crossbow, Arrow Target |
| Last Update | [current-month], [current-year] |
Family, Childhood, and Education
Kim Soo Nyung was born on April 5, 1971, in Chungcheonbuk province of South Korea.
She began learning archery at the mere age of 9 years old.
The archery wizard picked up a knack for having a strong posture to shoot swift arrows right on the mark.
Her school teacher encouraged her to pursue a career in archery because she was built stronger and taller than other children.
Not much information has been found on her parents. Also, it is unknown whether she is a single child or has siblings.
To pursue archery, Nyung had to compromise on her studies, yet she went to study at the Korea University.
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Kim Soo Nyung: Body Measurements
Kim Soo Nyung features an athletic build with strong muscles.
The player stands at 5 feet 5 inches, making her height 165cm in length.
The world champion maintains her weight at 130 lbs even after giving birth.
Yet, her healthy body has allowed her to continue her career even after 40 years.
Hence, intensive training and a healthy diet proved to be effective in maintaining her weight.
Kim Soo Nyung: Personal Life
Kim Soo Nyung got married at the age of 23 years in 1994. Her daughter was born in 1995.
She then birthed another child, a son, in 1999.
In the course of 6 years after her marriage, Kim had not picked up her bow due to familial responsibilities.
Regardless of her personal life, she decided to make a comeback to work towards the Olympic Games of 2000.
Kim Soo Nyung: Career
Kim Soo Nyung started her career at the delicate age of 9 when she only took archery as an after-school sports game.
She expressed, “At that time, I changed school, so taking archery was just an after-school event.”
At the age of 10, the player competed in the regional tournament to win an individual silver.
After relentless help from her school teacher, she decided to pursue a professional career in archery ultimately.
When the archery prodigy was just 13 years old, she began tumultuous training in archery while neglecting her studies in the process.
Her untiring perseverance paid off when she made the cut for the national team at the age of 16.
International Debut
Kim started strong in her international debut by breaking a world record.
Additionally, she won gold at the COQ France event, which is the predecessor of the Archery World Cup.
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Asian Games
Soo Nyung’s international acclamation came from winning individual bronze at the 1986 Asian Games (X Asiad) held in South Korea.
Surprisingly, she went onto grab gold in the team events.
After that, she went onto win gold at both the individual and team events in the Asian Games of 1989.
Similarly, she won gold at the 1991 Asian Games for both individual and team events.
Olympics
Olympics made Kim Soo Nyung’s immaculate skills known to the whole world.
She is the most decorated Korean athlete in terms of Olympic medal wins.
Seoul Olympics 1988
At the age of 17, she qualified for her first Olympic Games in South Korea, held in 1998.
At the time of international distress between Korea and her neighbors, Kim lightened the tension with her impressive archery skill.
She went onto thrive with gold honor in the individual event.
Similarly, she helped her teammates also to bag gold in the team archery event.
The Korean team was ahead of other teams by a massive difference of 30 points, thanks to Kim and her teammates.
The historic win for South Korea added Kim’s name to the hall of fame in archery.
Barcelona Olympics 1992
Following her impressive wins at the 1998 Olympics, she then qualified again for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
She surprisingly won gold again in the team’s event whereas bagged a silver in individual.
Furthermore, she had caught the eyes of the world with her super straight arrows that hit the mark all the time.
Kim certainly made a name for herself with four big wins at the Olympics till then.
Sydney Olympics 2000
Unlike her previous Olympics caps, the Sydney Olympics felt special to her as it was her comeback stage.
After the birth of two children, the archery prodigy stopped archery for a while.
Despite her early retirement, she chose to come back with a fierce and fiery passion like before.
She aimed for the Sydney Olympics to regain her fame and grab an honorable mention.
The world champion certainly made herself notable by winning a bronze in the individual event.
Nevertheless, she bagged a huge gold in the team’s event, which according to her, it made her emotional.
Unlike most players who give up after retirement, Kim showcased that she was the Viper who loved making accurate shots.
World Archery Championships
In a more widened arena, Kim Soo-Nyung competed in two World Championships in her career.
In the 1989 Lausanne World Championship, she defeated many opponents to get an individual goal.
Moreover, she got a team gold as well in the 1989 Championship.
Kim once again received gold in both teams and individual events to further make herself a prominent archer.
Kim Soo Nyung: Retirement
The magical archer was named the no. 1 archer in the world of the 20th century due to her extensive wins.
However, due to her personal life, she had to retire at an early age.
Bouncing back from her retirement in 2000, she quit her initial retirement plan to compete in international events again.
Coaching Career
Now with a simpler life, Kim Soo-Nyung excitedly coaches young archers to be the best.
When she made her daughter try archery, her daughter stopped playing only after a few days.
“She was not bad, but I told her archery is a difficult sport,” she explained when she made her 10-year-old daughter try archery.
According to Yun Min Jin, another archer prodigy, “We’re still yet to discover an archer like her…It was truly an honor to participate in the Olympics with her.”
Even when her juniors exceed her, Kim feels nothing but pride and joy at the evolving archery skills as she believes in the concept of learning.
For Kim, archery remains her best sport which provides a purpose in her life and keeps her going.
Kim Soo Nyung: Controversies
To date, Kim Soo Nyung has no controversy about her name.
She remains a world star champion who focuses on her work rather than anything else.
Hence, the star remains free of any controversy.
Kim Soo Nyung Networth
Archers in Korea have a reputation of receiving a hefty net worth due to their legitimate wins.
Kim Soo Nyung being no exception has an estimated net worth of $3 million.
The estimated net worth is calculated from her wins at international forums, Olympic stages, and national level wins.
Moreover, her coaching career and sponsorships cover her living standards.
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Kim Soo Nyung Social Media
As a fairly private person, Kim Soo Nyung strays away from public view.
Therefore, she does not have any social media account.
As social media paves the way to fierce public observation, the world champion likes to stay isolated from such mediums.
Hence, she has no Instagram or Facebook either.
Trivia on Kim
- Kim was only 9 years old when she first started to use the bow and arrow.
- She was already married at the age of 21 and had a child at 22.
- Despite being briefly retired in the early 1990s, she made a comeback in 2000.
- Now, the coach teaches young kids to maintain their posture for a skilled level archery session.
FAQs
How many Olympic gold medals does Kim Soo Nyung have?
Currently, Kim Soo Nyung holds 4 Olympic gold medals won in 1988 and 1992, respectively.
Is Kim Soo Nyung the best female archer?
Yes, she is regarded as the best female archer of the 20th century by the World Archery.
